Senate: Health, Education Among Key Issues Raised

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 4 (Bernama) -- The government has been told to provide public health education from an early stage to raise awareness of healthy lifestyle practices for a better future.

Senator Baharuddin Ahmad said health education must be emphasised at an early stage because once they suffer from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, patients have to depend on medicines for the rest of their lives.

"This means the government has to bear the cost of treatment. For example, the cost of treating cancer patients is huge and continues to rise, which the government will have to bear,” he said.

He said this on the third day of the debate session on the Supply Bill (Budget) 2026 in the Senate today.

As such, he said that health education must cover nutrition and health care, adding that these must be practised from a young age.

Meanwhile, Senator Mohd Hasbie Muda proposed that the government improve the Budget 2026 plan to ensure youth and graduate programmes have a broader impact.

This includes wider promotion for the K-Youth Programme and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) industrial training via social media, university portals, secondary schools, community centres and employment agencies.

He said the training that needs to be offered must be delivered in a structured manner, with opportunities for on-the-job training, especially in hi-tech sectors such as semiconductor, electric vehicles, artificial intelligence and digital technology, so that participants can gain practical and theoretical knowledge.

In addition, the government must expand financial aid and mobility incentives, including work transition assistance, training allowances and transport aid to ensure that youth from low-income families can seize these training opportunities without hindrance.

Collaborations between industries, educational institutions and government agencies must also be streamlined so that the education curriculum aligns with market needs, ensuring graduates are not only theoretically proficient but also practically skilled, especially in the automation, green technology and digital sectors.

The Senate session resumes on Monday.

-- BERNAMA