She said amending the relevant laws would ensure that attempted suicide is not classified as a crime as this was a mental health issue.

“Please make the changes to the laws immediately to decriminalise attempted suicide,” Wan Azizah (PH-Pandan) said when debating the 12th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat today.

She also said it was alarming that suicide cases resulting from mental health issues had increased since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 has led to many children losing their parents, affecting them physically and mentally. Many people have lost their will to endure the pandemic and believe that ending their life is the solution,” she said, noting that the number of suicide cases from January to July was more than the total number in 2020.

There were 638 cases of suicide between January and July this year, a 143% increase over last year’s 262 cases, according to health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, who cited police reports.