Kuala Lumpur:Mental health treatment in the country has shown positive outcomes, with 76% of psychiatric patients under the Ministry of Health (MOH) successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated into the workforce as of June.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad stated that this success was achieved through the Community Mental Health Centre (MENTARI) vocational support programme, which exceeded the Ministry's Key Performance Indicator (KPI) target of 60%.

Dr Dzulkefly emphasized that mental health treatment in the country is not solely focused on reducing symptoms but on functional rehabilitation, allowing patients to live independently. He mentioned that 39 MENTARI centres nationwide provide patients with rehabilitation, psychosocial support, and assistance in returning to work and achieving independence.

This statement was made in response to a question from Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan (BN-Kuala Pilah) about treatment effectiveness indicators at government facilities, evaluation mechanisms, and the rate of patient readmissions. Dr Dzulkefly highlighted the quality of MOH treatment by noting the hospital readmission rate for psychiatric patients within three months was 6.32%, well below the KPI target of 25%.

In addressing a supplementary question from Adnan about using cannabis extracts for mental health treatment, Dr Dzulkefly indicated that the MOH is open to medical clinical research if supported by scientific evidence, but firmly opposes fully decriminalizing the substance, citing lessons from Thailand's past public health crisis.