PETALING JAYA: Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh has warned that children will bear the brunt in the years to come if the government does not solve the problem of the rising cost of living.
The former deputy women, family and community development minister said the price hikes had affected many low- and middle-income families, with malnutrition among children in these income groups a major concern.
She warned that reduced quantity and quality of meals would see Putrajaya being forced to allocate a hefty budget for the healthcare of children and their families.
Yeoh said that in the healthcare sector, many general practitioners had been reporting a shortage of basic paediatric medicine like cough syrup.
“These little ones are suffering in pain and, without money, parents may not be able to seek treatment for their children,” the DAP MP said in a statement.
She said families could also be cash-strapped for funds for education purposes, whether it was for transportation, books, uniforms or toys.
“Their (children’s) education may be interrupted or, in some instances, removed completely as affected households may require their children’s help in the running of stalls and businesses as paid help is far more costly.
“I am afraid that the entire cycle of adverse Covid-19 effects on children is repeating itself with this latest price surge crisis.
“This is indeed a ticking time bomb and requires immediate action by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his Cabinet,” she said.
Yeoh called on women, family and community development minister Rina Harun and education minister Radzi Jidin to take on a more proactive role in solving this problem.
“The least they could do is to identify the affected children and report this to Parliament when we reconvene our meeting,” she said.
She was commenting on an FMT report on some university students being forced to forego meals to save money. - FMT
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