KUALA LUMPUR: People's Housing Project (PPR) which is not comfortable and not conducive affects children's and teenagers mental health, Dewan Rakyat told.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that there are cases where three generations of a family were living together in a cramped environment at a PPR home, which impacts their mental state.
"This is a concerning phenomenon for the ministry.
"When talking about the mental health of children and teenagers in PPR are affected, there is a need for collaboration with the Housing Ministry and also those involved in developing the homes.
"Homes which are not comfortable and not conducive also contribute to the (declining) mental health of the children and teenagers.
"We need a strategic inter-agency approach and collaboration in order to tackle the issue," she said when responding to a supplementary question posed by Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat-PH).
He was asking about the measures taken by the Health Ministry to resolve the issue of children and teenagers aged 10 to 17 living at PPR facing mental health problems.
He cited data from United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) which states that 12.3 per cent of the group at Klang Valley PPR are facing mental health issues. He said that these group pose the risk of committing suicide.
