Penang:The Penang state government is intensifying its efforts to tackle the declining birth rate by implementing a comprehensive strategy that includes enhanced access to fertility treatments and bolstered support for couples and young families.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Lim Siew Khim, the chairman of the State Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Affairs Committee, highlighted that these initiatives encompass various areas such as fertility treatment, affordable childcare, family-friendly workplaces, career flexibility, and parental support.
The Fertility Treatment Assistance and Infertility Advocacy Programme (BuAI) is a key aspect of these efforts, being a collaboration between the state government and the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN). This programme provides couples in Penang with access to consultations, counselling, screening, and treatment at the LPPKN Family Centre in Bertam, Kepala Batas, which is also home to the Northern Zone Subfertility Centre.
BuAI also offers financial support for intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment for eligible couples with a monthly household income of less than RM10,000, covering up to one cycle per year and a maximum of two cycles in a lifetime.
Efforts to enhance family support include regularising childcare centres, kindergartens, and care facilities to ensure children are in registered, safe, and quality environments. A study conducted with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) identified financial pressures and economic conditions as significant factors affecting couples' decisions regarding parenthood.
Lim noted that the cost of living, childcare, and family commitments have prompted many couples to plan their families, limit the number of children they have, or postpone parenthood out of concern for providing their children with the best possible life.
Despite these initiatives, the state government has not set a specific target for the total fertility rate (TFR), as the effectiveness of these measures needs to be assessed over the medium and long term. The immediate focus is on raising awareness, expanding access to fertility screening and treatment, and collecting data to evaluate the programmes' effectiveness.
Statistics from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reveal that Penang recorded 18,174 live births in 2024, reflecting a 7.2 percent decline from 19,579 in 2023, with the crude birth rate decreasing from 11.0 to 10.1 per 1,000 population.