| Hakim Hayat |

LEGISLATIVE Council (LegCo) member Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman yesterday called for enhanced coordination between different government agencies to raise more awareness on dementia, as Brunei has one of the highest percentages of people suffering from dementia in the region.

During deliberations on the budget for the Ministry of Health (MoH) for the financial year 2019/2020 at the 15th LegCo meeting yesterday, the LegCo member relayed her concern over the United Nations (UN) Development Programme (UNDP) Asia-Pacific Regional Human Development Report in 2016 that suggested that Brunei will face age-related issues and an ageing population by 2030.

Statistics show that 47,700 individuals in the country were over the age of 55 in 2014, and the number has increased to 53,800 in 2017.

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) estimates that over 1,000 Bruneians suffered from dementia in 2015, while in 2018, the number has doubled to 2,000, with more going unrecorded or undiagnosed.

“These numbers are feared to increase to over 11,000 by 2050 and an estimated BND65 million will be needed annually for their healthcare,” Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaimeriyanty added.

As Brunei sits in the top bracket of countries with persons suffering from dementia in Asia, the LegCo member called for a comprehensive National Dementia Plan to be formulated in collaboration with the different ministries and more dementia awareness programmes to be run by the MoH.

She however noted several commendable initiatives made recently to train community welfare officers, health specialists and volunteers from the MoH and Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) in dementia care workshops and courses organised by Demensia Brunei, a local non-governmental organisation.

“Although dementia is not curable, with appropriate early intervention, we can prevent and reduce its risks. I would like to suggest for the MoH to organise active ageing campaigns for senior citizens by having various activities that can increase their physical movements as well as giving more awareness on dementia at the national level so families, caregivers and the public know about it and can help prevent dementia from the early stage and make Brunei an active-ageing and dementia-friendly nation,” she said.

“It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that our senior citizens are well taken care of. We must appreciate their contributions and must not forget their contributions to the country’s development.”

Minister of Health Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar, in reply to the LegCo member’s notion, emphasised the government and the MoH’s concern on dementia in the country and acknowledged the need to bring it to the fore.

He said the establishment of Demensia Brunei last year, an organisation made up of a number of doctors from the MoH working in collaboration with specialists from a neighbouring country is aimed at raising more awareness on dementia among the public.

“What’s more important is for the public, especially family members to know what are the early signs of dementia,” he said. “Although they can be obvious, but sometimes we tend to overlook. So to know and detect early signs will help the patient go on with a better and safer life as dementia patients need to be taught to follow a routine. If there is early detection and right ways to monitor the patient, they can still live an active life.”

The minister added that the MoH and the MCYS through Demensia Brunei will pay attention to the call to create a national dementia plan, adding that they will work together on this proposal.

He also shared several initiatives carried out by the MoH for the welfare of senior citizens, including a Senior Citizen Health Programme that will be expanded to all districts from this year to 2021, the Pusat Amal Cerah Sejahtera day-care facility for senior citizens in Kampong Subok, and also an active-ageing plan which is an inter-ministerial initiative by the MCYS and the MoH.

“Healthy lifestyle campaigns have also been organised for senior citizens at several locations, including in Kampong Lambak Kanan and also the Tutong District, with the campaigns being planned to be held in other places,” the minister added.