KUALA LUMPUR: Health Ministry officials are studying the implications of using mental health diagnoses as a defence in criminal trials.
"To be honest, we are actively discussing this matter. I recently visited Sentosa Hospital in Kuching, and prior to that, there were also engagements with psychiatry experts," said minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad at the silver jubilee celebration of stem cell and bone marrow transplant services at Ampang Hospital today.
"Today, I had the opportunity to meet a forensic psychiatrist, a field that is quite lacking within the Ministry of Health," he added.
"There are still many aspects and angles that we have yet to address. Once we have established a policy or policy stance, I will promptly communicate this to the public," he said.
Acknowledging the gravity of the issue, Dr Dzulkefly assured that it would receive serious attention.
"This topic is highly significant, and I agree. We will give it serious attention," he stressed.
In October, Dzulkefly said the ministry would examine all factors, including potential legislative amendments, in response to concerns regarding the use of mental health as a defence in criminal cases.
The minister was responding to growing public concern that crimes committed by individuals, supposedly with mental health issues, could result in inadequate justice for victims and their families, as offenders might be deemed mentally unfit for prosecution.
The Federal Court recently ruled that medical insanity was distinct from legal insanity, and the former would not absolve an acussed of crimes.