Fewer babies born in Sarawak
Delay in women getting married due to studies, work among reasons for declining birth rate, says Fatimah
In 2019, the total (number) of births in Sarawak was 33,304 but it dropped to 31,176 in 2020.
Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah
KUCHING: Sarawak is experiencing a decline in its birth rate, with the delay by women in ge ing married due to studies and work commitment identified as among the reasons for the drop, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
The Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister noted that the state’s birth rate has been on a downward trend since 2019, and has led to a drop in applications for Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS).
The state government, she added, is keeping an eye on the situation since it has to set aside funds for the EFS worth RM1,000 for every baby born.
“The declining birth rate in Sarawak is a concern to us because it can lead to a slow growth of population in Sarawak. In 2019, the total (number) of births in Sarawak was 33,304 but it dropped to 31,176 in 2020.
“The rate dropped further to 24,081 last year, based on the total number of births obtained from the National Registration Department,” she told reporters a er a visit to Sunway Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) Centre and Sunway Fertility Centre at Canaan Square Business Hub, Jalan Stutong Baru here.
She pointed out that the peak age for women to conceive was between 25 and 35 years.
“It is hard for some to conceive. My own experience... it took four years to conceive. My mother, who married at 15, conceived immediately, but there are people having problems conceiving,” she said.
She believed that Sunway Fertility Centre will give hope to couples, particularly those having infertility issues.
She observed that couples with such difficulties used to seek treatment in Kuala Lumpur, but they can now opt for either this new centre or two other similar private facilities in the state.
“We have now three private centres including Sunway to help couples with infertility problem. Sunway started operations in May this year,” she said.
Fatimah said the Sarawak government would like to see an increase in birth rates as the state needs a bigger population to continue developing.
She was glad to note that the new facility had also received patients from Sabah, Brunei and Indonesia.
According to her, patients need to pay at least RM200 for each treatment at the Sunway TCM Centre, while the In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) at Sunway Fertility Centre would cost RM17,000 or so.
She said local patients can apply for Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawal from their Account 2 for such treatment.
Asked whether the state government would offer incentives for couples seeking fertility treatment, Fatimah said: “We have to look at the situation, whether there is really a critical demand for that.”
She did not rule out the possibility of the Sarawak government offering incentives but said a detailed study should be carried out to determine such need.
Sunway TCM Centre and Sunway Fertility Centre are part of Sunway Healthcare Group.
They aim to deliver holistic care with better quality, safety and efficacy to patients and to the people in Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and neighbouring countries.