KUCHING: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has called for comprehensive urban planning to cater to the needs of an ageing population.
He said creating urban centres with green spaces, recreational facilities, and welfare support for individuals aged 70 to 100 was crucial.
“We have to plan our urban centres with a lot of green, recreational facilities, and also welfare facilities,” he said during the ground-breaking ceremony of the Che Hia Khor Moral Uplifting Society Sarawak at Laksamana Cheng Ho road today (Dec 30).
“The average age is about over 60 years. And we are going towards 70 years. 70 years, meaning our population is old. And our cost on social benefits has to increase. And, of course, you got insurance schemes. But that is not enough,” he added.
Abang Johari also touched on the integration of technology in healthcare, highlighting how pacemakers exemplify the blending of human biology and machines.
“Human is also a machine inside human. You know, I think doctors know this. This is about heart problems,” he said.
“If the heart is not functioning well, it lacks electrical shocks. They give electricity so that your pumping is good. To sustain that, they place a pacemaker. And the pacemaker is the machine. Your life is survived by the pacemaker. Meaning, you are no longer 100 per cent human, but machine,” he said.
