THE OFFICIATION OF “SOMEONE FOR EACH ONE” PROGRAMME

SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW

FOR THE OFFICIATION OF “SOMEONE FOR EACH ONE” PROGRAMME

10 October 2020

 

Yang Amat Bahagia Madam Tan Lean Kee - President of Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara (PWM)

YB Chong Eng – Exco Pembangunan Sosial Dan Hal Ehwal Bukan Islam

YB. Dr. Hajah Norlela Bt Ariffin – Exco Agroteknologi & Keselamatan Makanan, Pembangunan Luar Bandar Dan Kesihatan Spare (TBD)

YB Lim Siew Khim – ADUN Sungai Pinang

Yang Berbahagia Dr Siti Norashiah, Ketua Jabatan Psikiatri - Hospital Pulau Pinang

Pn Chitarthany Rajalingam  -  Tim Pengarah Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat

Ms A.E. Margarita Malayapillay, President of Penang Association of Counselling & Psychology (PACP)

DR. Farzanah – Wakil Pengarah Jabatan Kesihatan

Good morning to all of you,

Today, October 10, is World Mental Health Day which is observed each year internationally to raise awareness on mental health issues and to mobilize support for mental health patients.

I greatly appreciate that the efforts by Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara together with the Penang Association of Counselling and Psychology (PACP) have pioneered this programme aptly named “Someone For Each One” to establish a support system manned by professionals and trained volunteers to provide help to people with emotional and other mental health challenges.

I understand that many people, young and old, have become increasingly stressed and worried due to the on-going adverse economic and social challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from Covid-19, the lifestyle we lead today and coupled with the increasing demands at the workplace, family commitments, the seemingly never-ending rat race in school and university, all of these lead to the strain we face in our daily lives and our affected mental well-being and for the less resilient among us, mental breakdown will happen sooner or later. 

This is very alarming and is a serious cause of concern for all of us especially the 2017 National Health and Morbidity Survey revealed that 29% of Malaysians suffer from depression and anxiety disorder compared to just 12% in 2011. Therefore, with the pandemic now affecting not only our lives but livelihood as well, it is hardly surprising and in fact, very likely that the number of people suffering from anxiety and depression has increased.

I really hope that those who require assistance will seek help through the Someone for Each One initiative which will enable someone who is willing to provide some form of support to help you through these difficult times.

In line with the Family-Focused part of Vision Penang2030, Someone For Each One aims to support and empower families with neurotypical children as well as children with special needs by conducting positive parenting courses. Secondly, Someone For Each One will also focus on training of essential skills. Volunteers will be trained in basic counselling skills while qualified personnel will be provided with specialized training in areas such as trauma and grief relief which will be useful during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Thirdly, Someone for Each One will be looking into increasing the provision of affordable mental health services.

Cancer support will be another area of service whereby volunteers of Someone For Each One will lend a listening ear and provide a comforting shoulder to cry on. Someone For Each One will be a patient's pillar of strength so they need not walk this physically and emotionally demanding journey all alone. The recuperating or healing stage is not easy for a patient but at the very least, it will be comforting to know that there’s always someone around for one who’s in pain.

On a final note, I would like to thank Pertubuhan Wanita Mutiara and Penang Association of Counselling & Psychology for working towards Vision Penang2030: A Family-Focused Green and Smart State That Inspires The Nation especially in areas such as mental health and the importance and effects of emotional well-being that many of us take for granted and to a certain extent, even overlooked its undesired consequences on the overall happiness of society. 

It is with great pleasure that I hereby declare Someone For Each One to be officially launched! And for the mental health sufferers known and unknown among us, let it be known that “You Will Never Walk Alone!”

Thank you.