Speaking to FMT, Dr Lee Boon Chye said most of the available treatments were provided by private organisations such as by psychiatrists and NGOs.
“It would be good for the health ministry to have a specific programme for alcohol addicts to seek help and treatment,” he said.
Lee said while the government did pay attention to the seriousness of the problem by restricting the sales of liquor products, among others, most of the efforts were carried out with “religious overtones”.
“Drink driving is an entirely separate issue which should be addressed through education and a harsher penalty for drunk drivers,” he said.
The Malaysia Consumer Movement (MCM) said society must recognise that irresponsible alcohol consumption is a social problem, adding that “people must avoid turning it into a race and religion issue”.
Recently, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) announced its 2021 liquor licence guidelines whereby grocery shops, convenience stores and Chinese medicine shops in Kuala Lumpur will lose the right to sell hard liquor from Oct 1.
MCM vice-president and lead activist Beninder Johl applauded the move but said the effort must be followed by education to continue highlighting the perils of drinking.
Johl said that according to the World Health Organization 2011 report, Malaysia was the 10th highest alcohol consumers in the world.
“This is shocking considering our population numbers and calls for all-out education and cessation programmes to be immediately implemented to curb this greater social issue,” he said.
He said alcohol excise duty in Malaysia is the second highest in the world and the fund collected should be used towards educating the public and also the setting up of support centres for those who decide to quit drinking.
“Currently, we do not see much done on the education aspects. For this, we would suggest that funds are channelled to religious organisations where programmes could be conducted among members.”
However, Lee cautioned the government in using the tax on liquor products to help people quit drinking.
“Ring-fence funding depends on prevailing budget policy. There are pros and cons on such funding,” he added.