Lawmakers welcome national suicide registry, urge strict service standards for crisis helplines

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (fourth, left) attends the launch of the Postvention Services Guidelines at the national-level World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 celebration at the Kolej PolyTech MARA main hall in Ipoh, Perak on September 28, 2026. — Bernama pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Tuesday, 29 Sep 2026 1:13 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Three DAP lawmakers have welcomed the launch of the National Suicide and Fatal Injury Registry Malaysia (NSFIRM) and the Ministry of Health’s Postvention Services Guidelines, while calling for stronger crisis helpline standards.

In a joint statement, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen and state assemblymen Lim Yi Wei (Kampung Tunku) and Michelle Ng Mei Sze (Subang Jaya) said the launch, three years after attempted suicide was decriminalised, reaffirms the government’s commitment to mental health.

They said that Malaysia previously lacked a systematic registry of suicide deaths and attempts. Suspected suicides may initially be classified as “sudden death”, and differences in reporting and investigation practices, along with stigma, have obscured the full picture.

“NSFIRM can make this picture clearer through systematic analysis and incident trend monitoring.

“In the age of social media, incident trend monitoring is crucial. Viral trends can become a vehicle for self-harm among vulnerable individuals, especially youth who lack safe spaces to express emotional distress, such as the TikTok ‘barcode’ trend,” they said.

They also welcomed commitments by major media players at the June 8 ministerial dialogue on ethical suicide reporting, including listing helplines. However, they cautioned that “many helplines mean little if nobody picks up the phone”.

They urged the Health Ministry, through the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health, to implement performance indicators for helplines such as Talian Kasih 15999, Talian HEAL 15555 and Befrienders. These include answer and abandonment rates, waiting times, staffing across shifts and multilingual availability.

The trio also called for the guidelines to be coordinated with proposed civil service mental health guidelines, ensuring first responders are trained to record data and receive psychosocial support themselves.