KUALA LUMPUR: Childcare centre operators should undergo tests before being allowed to care for children, says Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
Making her first media appearance in a long time, she said there should be stricter regulations on childcare centres following several incidents where children had tragically lost their lives under suspicious circumstances.
"Before these babysitters open a childcare centre, they should should undergo medical tests, especially now when all sorts of things can happen.
"Sometimes we can't blame them, maybe they (the babysitters) are going through stressful experiences, maybe due to their husbands or the environment.
"So, before we let them take care of our children, those caregivers should undergo mandatory medical and psychological tests to ensure they are fit to be babysitters and care for children."
Rosmah, who is also former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's wife, said this in an online portal's "Heart Talk" interview aired on YouTube yesterday.
Rosmah also suggested for the authorities to implement and enforce strict regulations on childcare centre registrations as many unlicensed centres were operating without oversight.
"We should enforce stricter laws. I don't know if there are such laws now, but if incidents happen, the authorities must take action.
"Anyone who wants to open a childcare centre should be required to register. I know that some are not even registered.
"So, when something happens, how do the parents take action? I believe we must take a serious interest in such matters."
She added that a childcare centre is supposed to take care of children properly with the money their parents rightfully paid.
"Their mothers have to work and send their children to a babysitter or to children's centre. However, when they go to these places, not all of them truly care to look after our children or other people's children.
"When I learned that there were children who passed away because they choked on milk or because a pillow was covering their face, I was very angry.
"It puts me in a bad mood, this is ridiculous! Authorities must take serious notice of these incidents," Rosmah said.
Previously, it was reported that a childcare centre in Melaka was ordered to close following the tragic death of an eight-month-old baby boy last Friday.
The centre was not registered with the Welfare Department, despite receiving support from agencies like the Alor Gajah Municipal Council and the Health Office.
The baby's father alleged that CCTV footage showed a babysitter forcefully feeding his baby, covering him with a cloth, and smothering him with a pillow.
A 34-year-old caregiver from the centre has been remanded for seven days as investigations proceed under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.