MoH applauds PLUS health programmes, aligned with Malaysia's national health agenda

PLUS Malaysia Bhd (PLUS) 2021 Safety Day was officially launched by Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin virtually to over 2,260 warga PLUS witnessed by Datuk Azman Ismail, PLUS Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Datuk Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi, recently.

Khairy Jamaluddin, who is also the vice-president of the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA), applauded the bespoke health program called SayHeart PLUS designed by its Health, Safety, Security & Environment (HSSE) and Human Resource (HR) team’s, with the singular purpose to provide a robust platform to alleviate PLUS’s existing culture of health and safety amongst its 3800 employees nationwide.

“PLUS’s Safety Day resonates with the Governments' Agenda Nasional Malaysia Sihat (ANMS) that was introduced in November.

ANMS focuses on a national approach which calls for the active participation of the Rakyat, NGOs and private sectors, to collectively ensure the sustainability of the nation through the embodiment of healthy living.

“Staying true to its spirit of Rakan Negara, PLUS has once again demonstrated its commitment as the driving force of the Government's efforts to rebuild the country towards post-COVID-19.

"Congratulations to the PLUS's leadership and employees for having attained 99.8% completed vaccination doses for its 12,738 employees, business partners, and vendors within its ecosystem in their fight against the virus.

"PLUS continuous support towards the Government recovery efforts post-Covid is exemplary,” attest Khairy Jamaluddin.

This year’s theme #isihatselamat saw the insightful sharing from Datuk Azman Ismail, on the conscientious effort by management to increase awareness on the critical importance of regular annual regular health checks as well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which encompasses not only the physical but the mental and spiritual wellbeing, as well.

“We evolved from our 2020 Safety Day, when we first gave credence to mental health issues viewed as how we would treat a common cold, and they should not be stigmatized for it.

"PLUS employees have a safe environment to share their feelings if they are undergoing mental stress as the pandemic has disrupted the work and home environment in an unprecedented manner.

"This year we further resolved to enhance the wellbeing of our employees through numerous and various SayHeart PLUS programs, which are holistically designed help them overcome challenges faced today,” affirms Datuk Azman,

"We began with the launch of SayHeart PLUS in April 2021, as part of a collaborative initiative between HSSE and Human Resource to raise awareness of mental health and its relevance to productivity and personal wellbeing.

"It provided an avenue for employees to gain awareness and how to deal with mental and physical health challenges, as well as opportunities to engage virtually amongst colleagues for physical and social activities so that they do not feel alone or marginalized,” added Datuk Azman.

On the aspect of Safety, Datuk Azman informed that PLUS had successfully achieved a 21% reduction in Lost Time Injury (LTI) incidents among its employees compared with the corresponding period in 2020.

Testament of the continued sustainability in PLUS safety efforts, is reflected strongly in its achievement of a commendable 60% LTI reduction from 2017 to 2020.

PLUS Safety Day comprised of a multitude of exciting virtual activities that enabled all Warga PLUS to engage and gain health and fitness tips, medical and nutritional insights, from leading experts and celebrities.