He said the government could take steps in this direction at the upcoming budget parliamentary sitting, scheduled to start at the end of October.
In a statement, he said a national suicide registry must also be set up immediately as part of the solutions to overcome the rising suicide rate.
Yii said there should be no delay in repealing the outdated law to ensure individuals are given the necessary therapy and support they need.
He also said there must be a moratorium by police on all prosecution of attempted suicide cases.
Yii said decriminalising suicide was a way to become more open in talking about suicide and mental health. Criminalising the act can negatively affect people who need to gain access to mental health services.
“Recently, a study showed an increase of 10.81% in suicidal thoughts, 4.68% hike in attempted suicide and 9.68% rise in self-harm during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic days.”
Yii wanted the government to increase efforts to prevent suicides by raising awareness and ensuring mental health services are accessible to all, especially in rural areas.
In addition, he felt the government should increase the number of mental health workers to meet the nation’s needs and ensure quality healthcare service is accessible to everyone.
“There is a huge difference in the distribution of psychiatrists nationwide. Kuala Lumpur has the best ratio of 5.24 per 100,000 population whereas Sabah and Kedah have the worst ratio of 0.54 and 0.55 per 100,000 population respectively.”
It was previously reported that the home ministry and attorney-general’s chambers (AGC) had agreed to decriminalise suicide attempts by abolishing Section 309 of the Penal Code.
The health ministry meanwhile plans to improve mental health and psychosocial support services by collaborating with non-governmental organisations to enable access to treatment for those in need.
Police had said that 468 suicides were reported in the first five months of this year, compared to 631 in 2020 and 609 in 2019.
The three main causes of suicides were family problems, emotional pressure and financial difficulties.
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