MOH to establish National Autism Council soon - Khairy

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) will establish a National Autism Council in the near future as a stakeholder centre on autism.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was aimed at developing an integrated intervention strategy for individuals on the autism spectrum.

He said the ministry would prepare a cabinet paper on the matter and would present it to the Cabinet within a month or two.

"This council not only shows the support we give to parents or individuals with autism at the child level but also the supportive interventions we can give to them when they become adults and want to contribute to the development of the country," he said.

Khairy told reporters this after officiating at the closing of the Strategy Transformation and Empowering Autism Care workshop today.

According to Khairy, the council's establishment will involve various ministries and stakeholders and among the ministries proposed to join are the Education Ministry, the Human Resources Ministry and the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

Khairy said with the event, he also hoped to develop the National Clinical Autism Registry as a database of autism cases in the country.

"This clinical registry will help the MOH and other ministries to develop more accurate and effective interventions for individuals with the autism spectrum," he said.

On the workshop, Khairy said issues raised, including insurance coverage for autistic individuals, would be looked into by the National Autism Council, while Bank Negara as the regulatory body for the insurance industry could be invited to give its views.

-- BERNAMA