The Malaysian Orang Asli Youth Council has called for the return of the practice of appointing medical assistants among the Orang Asli youth as a measure to improve health awareness among the community.

Council president Clive Allen Williams Hunt said the initiative had been effective in the past because Orang Asli youths were able to convey health information using the language of their tribes, with another plus point being that the youth understood their community traditions and would, therefore, be accepted more easily by the community.

He said this after appearing as a guest on the Bernama News Channel (BNC) ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme held at Wisma Bernama..

Fellow guest, Dr Mohd Roslan Rosnon, a senior lecturer at the Human Ecology Faculty at Universiti Putra Malaysia, said cooperation between the government and non-government organisations should be heightened with regard to efforts at improving health education among the Orang Asli.

He also called for increased visits to the community.

- Bernama