More programmes rolled out to help Malay/Muslim residents keep fit

Walking 5km to the Yew Tee Community Club every Saturday became part of 57-year-old Norma Yaacob’s routine for three months after she joined a community health programme in June 2023 to manage her high blood pressure.

There, she took part in Zumba, Bollywood dance, brisk walks and discussions on incorporating healthier eating habits into her daily life.

“It kept me motivated, because every week they have different exercises and health talks,” said the civil servant, who also wanted to meet people in her community.

She felt right at home in the classes, where smatterings of Malay were used, besides the main English language.

Since completing the Saham Kesihatan (Invest In Your Health) programme, Ms Norma has stayed active with her treadmill and weights at home. She has also continued to eat more vegetables and opt for drinks with less sugar. Her blood pressure is now under control.

The Saham Kesihatan initiative was started in 2022 to encourage more Malay/Muslim residents to keep healthy through community-led interest groups.

More than 800 people have participated in the programme, which was set up by M³ – a collaboration by self-help group Mendaki, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) and the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (Mesra).

All 11 M³ @Towns have adopted Saham Kesihatan, Minister of State for Health Rahayu Mahzam said on Oct 25 in a progress update on M³, which was formed in 2018.

The M³@Towns platform ropes in volunteers and professionals to bring community programmes to the heartland. It involves 11 towns, covering 80 per cent of the Malay/Muslim community.

Community health is one focus area for M³, with objectives such as reducing smoking rates and increasing cancer screening participation.

Separately, close to 5,000 Malay/Muslim residents have participated in regular activities such as weekly exercise sessions and talks on mental well-being conducted by M³ and its partners in Jaga Kesihatan, Jaga Ummah (JKJU). The network’s name translates to “look after your health, look after your community”.

In 2024, volunteers from 65 JKJU members, including the 11 M³@Towns, Malay Youth Literary Association, Mesra and mosques, collaborated with the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to distribute healthier grocery packs to more than 10,000 families during Ramadan and Hari Raya.

Muis and HPB, with support from the Association of Muslim Travel Agents Singapore and Muslim Healthcare Professionals Association, have started offering more healthy living activities to physically prepare pilgrims for haj, which involves a lot of walking. Most pilgrims are usually above 60 years old, and some may have health and mobility issues.

In 2024, eight haj travel agents appointed by Muis conducted 40 health talks and exercise sessions for the pilgrims. Since 2023, more than 80 per cent of haj pilgrims have participated in the Get Fit For Haj programme.

The Ministry of Health also worked with M³ to boost participation in its national preventive health initiative Healthier SG through informational sessions and on-site enrolment at community events and mosques, reaching about 10,000 residents.

Corporate employees can also get involved in volunteer work in various projects if their companies partner with M³ under its new Organisational Volunteers programme.

Changi General Hospital (CGH), the Public Service Division’s Public Service for Good movement, and TAQ Wealth Associates are some of the corporate partners already involved.

At the Oct 25 update, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Mohamad Maliki Osman said medical social workers at CGH, for instance, mentioned that they face challenges when seeing a patient from a Malay/Muslim family because “they don’t quite understand the dynamics”.

“So they see this collaboration as a way for them to enhance their service to the community,” he said.

The M³ Engagement Coordination Office, a government-led office which organises Malay/Muslim volunteers, will work with more organisations from the healthcare, hospitality and tech industries.

M³@Pasir-Ris Punggol started the #HashTech programme in 2022, where Google experts and Malay/Muslim tech professionals teach young people data visualisation and dashboarding.

The students competed in a cybersecurity challenge, and created dashboards that displayed charts and graphs to present data on overcoming the challenges of Singapore’s ageing population.

More than 100 young people from various institutes of higher learning and madrasahs participated in the programme.

More than 20 Malay lawyers also volunteered to educate the community on preparing wills and getting their lasting power of attorney (LPA), a legal document which allows them to appoint someone to make decisions and act on their behalf if they lose mental capacity.

“I think it’s very heartening to see many young Malay lawyers doing their part to help the seniors who otherwise would not have a good sense of what they are doing and what LPA is,” Dr Maliki said.

“We want M³ not to just be seen as dealing with problems. We want M³ (to be seen) as looking at the future, charting directions where the Government is, where the community can be part of that journey and contributing to them – that’s really our vision for the future.”