Govt prepares to cope with ageing population

KUALA LUMPUR: The government will work towards putting in place measures to cope with Malaysia's rapidly ageing population by studying the approach taken by other nations.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rohani Abdul Karim said Malaysia could learn from countries such as Japan, that has a high ageing population to prepare infrastructure suitable for senior citizens.
"Fifteen percent of Malaysia's population is expected to reach the age of 60 and above by 2030," she told reporters at Parliament lobby today.
Rohani said the Senior Citizen Plan (Dasar Warga Emas) would be strengthened to include inputs received from other countries that have a high ageing population.
Citing an example from Singapore, she said Changi Airport employs senior citizens, which is one of the measures taken by the government to utilise the skills of senior citizens.
"Many senior citizens, although retired, are still strong and are able to work.
"Therefore, we are planning a discussion with supermarkets to allow us to place retired citizens to work in the sector," she added.
Rohani said rather than placing senior citizens in welfare homes, the ministry is trying to ensure that the group is not sidelined by the community as they age.
"We will come out with various activities for senior citizens to ensure that they are able to put their time to good use after retirement," she said