Minister unhappy over Sarawak posting highest number of adolescent vape users
Fatimah (fifth left) joins other officials involved in the state-level National Anti-Drugs Day 2025 programme in a group photo.
KUCHING (June 23): Sarawak has the highest vape users among youngsters aged 13 to 17 years in Malaysia, based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) undertaken in 2022, which recorded prevalence rate of 20.3 per cent, or 39,608 individuals.
To Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, this is not something to be proud of.
'This is not good. We're on top of the list, but not for a good reason.
'The prevalence rate of vape use among Sarawakianz aged 15 years and above has also shown an increase. The NHMS report showed an increase in the prevalence rate of vape use from 4.5 per cent in 2019 to 7.3 per cent in 2023,' she said at the state-level 'National Anti-Drugs Day 2025' at Detar Putra of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) on Saturday evening.
In this regard, she said her ministry was ready to bring this issue up at the Sarawak Cabinet meeting in seeking direction on the next step of action.
She also pointed out that there had been cases of illegal substance being added to vapes, with police statistics in 2023 reporting nine cases of illegal vape substances in Sarawak.
'We must do something to avoid this issue from becoming out of hand,' she stressed.
On another matter, Fatimah said Sarawak recorded a total of 4,602 arrests involving various drug-related offences from January to April this year.
'What is worrying is the increase in relapse cases among drug addicts in Sarawak, where the number of recorded cases jumped by 120 per cent from 319 cases (last year) to 703 cases.'
She added out of the 4,602 arrests, 2,804 involved youths – up from 1,392 youths' arrests recorded last year.
'This group (youths) are of the future of the state and the country.
'What's clear now is that prevention efforts must start earlier, at the school level with strong support from the teachers and parents,' she pointed out.
The state minister also called upon youths to never experiment with illegal drugs, as getting over the addiction and rehabilitation process would be difficult for them. fatimah abdullah National Health and Morbidity Survey substance abuse vape
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Malay Mail
12 hours ago
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Sarawak tops vape use among youth, state minister calls for urgent action on rising trend
KUCHING, June 23 — Sarawak has the highest vape users among youngsters aged 13 to 17 years in Malaysia, based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) undertaken in 2022, which recorded prevalence rate of 20.3 per cent, or 39,608 individuals. To Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, this is not something to be proud of. 'This is not good. We're on top of the list, but not for a good reason. 'The prevalence rate of vape use among Sarawakianz aged 15 years and above has also shown an increase. The NHMS report showed an increase in the prevalence rate of vape use from 4.5 per cent in 2019 to 7.3 per cent in 2023,' she said at the state-level 'National Anti-Drugs Day 2025' at Detar Putra of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) on Saturday evening. In this regard, she said her ministry was ready to bring this issue up at the Sarawak Cabinet meeting in seeking direction on the next step of action. She also pointed out that there had been cases of illegal substance being added to vapes, with police statistics in 2023 reporting nine cases of illegal vape substances in Sarawak. 'We must do something to avoid this issue from becoming out of hand,' she stressed. On another matter, Fatimah said Sarawak recorded a total of 4,602 arrests involving various drug-related offences from January to April this year. 'What is worrying is the increase in relapse cases among drug addicts in Sarawak, where the number of recorded cases jumped by 120 per cent from 319 cases (last year) to 703 cases.' She added out of the 4,602 arrests, 2,804 involved youths – up from 1,392 youths' arrests recorded last year. 'This group (youths) are of the future of the state and the country. 'What's clear now is that prevention efforts must start earlier, at the school level with strong support from the teachers and parents,' she pointed out. The state minister also called upon youths to never experiment with illegal drugs, as getting over the addiction and rehabilitation process would be difficult for them. — The Borneo Post
Borneo Post
15 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Minister unhappy over Sarawak posting highest number of adolescent vape users
Fatimah (fifth left) joins other officials involved in the state-level National Anti-Drugs Day 2025 programme in a group photo. KUCHING (June 23): Sarawak has the highest vape users among youngsters aged 13 to 17 years in Malaysia, based on the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) undertaken in 2022, which recorded prevalence rate of 20.3 per cent, or 39,608 individuals. To Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, this is not something to be proud of. 'This is not good. We're on top of the list, but not for a good reason. 'The prevalence rate of vape use among Sarawakianz aged 15 years and above has also shown an increase. The NHMS report showed an increase in the prevalence rate of vape use from 4.5 per cent in 2019 to 7.3 per cent in 2023,' she said at the state-level 'National Anti-Drugs Day 2025' at Detar Putra of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) on Saturday evening. In this regard, she said her ministry was ready to bring this issue up at the Sarawak Cabinet meeting in seeking direction on the next step of action. She also pointed out that there had been cases of illegal substance being added to vapes, with police statistics in 2023 reporting nine cases of illegal vape substances in Sarawak. 'We must do something to avoid this issue from becoming out of hand,' she stressed. On another matter, Fatimah said Sarawak recorded a total of 4,602 arrests involving various drug-related offences from January to April this year. 'What is worrying is the increase in relapse cases among drug addicts in Sarawak, where the number of recorded cases jumped by 120 per cent from 319 cases (last year) to 703 cases.' She added out of the 4,602 arrests, 2,804 involved youths – up from 1,392 youths' arrests recorded last year. 'This group (youths) are of the future of the state and the country. 'What's clear now is that prevention efforts must start earlier, at the school level with strong support from the teachers and parents,' she pointed out. The state minister also called upon youths to never experiment with illegal drugs, as getting over the addiction and rehabilitation process would be difficult for them. fatimah abdullah National Health and Morbidity Survey substance abuse vape
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Malaysia records 751,000 registered PWDs, with awareness issues behind registration gap
KUCHING: A lack of public awareness has been blamed for the gap between the number of registered persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Malaysia and actual estimates, with only 751,421 people officially recorded as of last year. Sarawak's Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the registration gap reflects both a lack of awareness about the benefits available to PWDs and lingering stigma within communities and families. "The actual number is believed to exceed one million, based on World Health Organisation estimates that roughly 12 per cent of a given population is likely to be disabled," she said at the launch of a PWD registration drive here today. In Sarawak, a total of 56,184 PWDs have been registered via the PWD Information System (SMOKU) as of May 31 this year. Fatimah said many families remain unaware of the importance of registering children or relatives with disabilities, particularly when it comes to early intervention and access to services. Learning disabilities accounted for the highest number of cases in Sarawak at 22,511, followed by physical (16,195), mental (5,943), vision (5,918), hearing (3,167), and others, including speech impairments and miscellaneous categories. She said societal attitudes also played a role in the under-registration, saying some families were reluctant to come forward due to shame or fear of being seen as burdensome. "The view that PWDs cannot be independent discourages families from registering them. "But registration is essential — it's the gateway to assistance, services, and policies designed to support them." Fatimah said accurate statistics would enable the government to better tailor programmes to meet specific needs. She also highlighted the importance of early childhood screening and intervention, particularly for learning disabilities. As of April 2025, 1,245 children under the age of six had been registered as PWDs in Sarawak, 77 per cent of whom were diagnosed with learning difficulties. She said that while limited access to specialists remained a challenge, efforts were underway to train more personnel through collaborations with both local and international agencies. "The lack of expertise has not stopped us from continuing to provide services to children with special needs," she said. The ministry will continue to prioritise early intervention, public outreach and education to close the registration gap nationwide.
