Mental Patients Already Categorised As Disabled - Dept
By: Ramjit
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The Welfare Department has already categorised mental patients as the disabled following an approval by the cabinet on May 27 last year, its Director-General Datuk Meme Zainal Rashid said.
In a statement, Meme Zainal said apart from mental patients, among the new categories of disabled were those with visual impairment, hearing impairment as well as multiple disabilities.
He was commenting on the call by National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye recently that mental patients should be categorised as disabled.
Meme Zainal clarified however that only those with schizophrenia, mood disorder and acute organic mental disorder and those who had undergone psychiatry treatment for at least two years can be registered as disabled.
Only psychiatrists were allowed to certify the mental state of patients, he said, adding that registration of mental patients as disabled can now be made at any of the department's office. All disabled registered with the department could be considered for appropriate assistance, he said.
BERNAMA
