Malaysian oil company Petronas has teamed up with the Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA) to launch the MIND-A-CARE first aid for mental health training program through a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2021.
Under the partnership, MPA will collaborate with Petronas to provide training in mental health first aid. Existing designated first aiders and identified employees at Petronas’ operations will be trained to become certified MIND-A-CARE first aiders through the program. They will be equipped with the necessary skills to assist or refer affected colleagues to seek professional assistance through the company’s employee-assistance program, known as myFriends.
“One of MPA’s main agenda is to increase mental health literacy among Malaysians, and, hopefully, this initiative will encourage other organizations to follow in Petronas’ footsteps,” said Hazli Zakaria, MPA’s president.
The inaugural batch of certified trainers, consisting of 19 employees, completed the Train the Trainer module on 30 November 2021. Petronas said it expects to train 1,000 MIND-A-CARE first aiders in the next 3 years.
“The health and safety of our employees is always our utmost priority,” said Yong Sai Chung, Petronas’ head of group health, safety, and environment. “These past 2 years have been especially hard for many of us, and it is more critical than ever to empower our people in recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental distress and to be the first aiders who can assist those in need.”