The Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) is currently drafting a bill to protect and safeguard the interests of the elderly in Malaysia. This announcement was made by Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Alongside the bill, the ministry is also formulating a policy for senior citizens. “We are still in the process of finalising the bill, and we are also preparing the elderly policy,” Nancy said, responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) about the government’s measures to introduce the bill.
In response to a question about the number of elderly people in care homes, including those operated by the private sector, Nancy reported that as of March this year, a total of 1,066 people were housed in Rumah Seri Kenangan (RSK) and 43 in Rumah Ehsan (RE), both managed by the Social Welfare Department (JKM) nationwide.
Meanwhile, Nancy highlighted that 506 unregistered childcare centres had been detected as of May 31. The ministry has taken various enforcement actions under the Child Care Centre Act 1984, including issuing warning notices, fines, compounds, and prosecutions against these centres.
“Based on the investigation papers opened and completed, eight childcare centres were sealed, 17 were issued compounds, and two cases have been brought to court between 2020 and March 2024,” she said.
This information was provided in response to a question from Datuk Idris Ahmad (PN-Bagan Serai) regarding the number of unregistered childcare centres identified by the JKM.
