Penang Gears Up To Become Age Friendly State By 2028

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The action plan utilises eight strategic modules outlined by the World Health Organization to meet the criteria for Age-Friendly City status.
PETALING JAYA: Penang has launched the Age-Friendly City: Penang Island Strategic Action Plan.
This sets the course for the state to become age-friendly by 2028.
State local government, town and country planning committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye said the initiative is a collaboration between the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), the Penang Women’s Development Corporation (PWDC) and the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society (MHAS) consultants, Bernama reported.
H’ng said the initiative began in 2022.
“Based on the statistics department’s 2024 projections, 143,805 of Penang’s population will be senior citizens (aged 65 and above).
“We’ll have 73,975 of them living on the island and 69,830 in Seberang Perai.
“With this in mind, the state government is taking proactive steps by developing a strategic action plan to provide the necessary facilities for the ageing.

This will ensure the people of Penang can live more comfortably, he said at the plan’s launch today.
MBPP mayor A Rajendran and PWDC CEO Ong Bee Leng were also present.
The plan utilises eight strategic modules outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO) to meet the criteria for Age-Friendly City status.
H’ng said these eight modules include outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation, housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation and employment, communication and information, as well as health services and community support.
He said that senior citizens often faced challenges in daily life and their surroundings, whether in urban or rural areas, including mobility issues, difficulty accessing services and limited access to age-friendly public transportation and infrastructure.
In addition, he said accessing services provided by government agencies can be difficult due to a lack of information, digital barriers and complex bureaucratic processes.
This could potentially lead to social isolation, a decline in quality of life, and difficulty maintaining independence.
“Therefore, creating an age-friendly environment is essential, as we will all eventually become senior citizens.

This initiative will also benefit future ageing generations.
H’ng said the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) would also roll out the initiative in 2025 and believed that Penang can achieve age-friendly status by 2028.
According to the Current Population Estimates by Administrative Districts, 2024 report, published on Aug 30, Seberang Perai Tengah is among 11 districts identified as ageing, where the population aged 65 and above reached 7%. - FMT

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