The number of psychiatrists in Malaysia currently stands at around 500, with the ratio being roughly one psychiatrist for 100,000 people, said Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said the recommended World Health Organization ratio is one psychiatrist serving 10,000 people, thus, in order to effectively balance this disparity, other healthcare professionals will need to be upskilled to assess and manage mental health issues in the community.

“Malaysia currently has more than 57,000 doctors, of which...