Mandatory Health Impact Assessment for Promoting Public Health in Malaysia

1.0 Introduction The Malaysian government achieved tremendous growth in various sectors within the short years after independence. This came with a cost and to a greater extent has undermined issues related to environmental pollution arising from indiscriminate land development.1 Land planning issues remained at the root of some of the most intractable public health problems, including the declining rates of physical activity resulting from automobile-dependent environments or the isolation of poor and minority communities in areas plagued by environmental pollutants, violent crime, and high rates of disease. Land use, community design, and transportation systems substantially impact local air quality, water quality and supply, traffic safety, physical activity and exposure to contaminated industries. Mental health and quality of life issues also are profoundly affected by factors ranging from the stress and difficulties of commuting to the presence or absence of natural areas and green spaces. There is a general realization that health specialists or planning departments cannot afford to operate in isolation from one another. Land development and exploitation of natural resources is an important aspect of human civilization and development, but it comes with a huge cost. Land development at micro or macro level will have an impact on the environment if the planning activities are carried out without taking into consideration the traffic impacts, location and siting of hazardous industries, effluent disposal, plot ratio and density of population (Ainul Jaria, 2008). The World Health Organisation (‘WHO’) defines health as: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Public health is very much concerned with threats to the overall health of a community. Assessing health impacts from the environment, and correcting, controlling and preventing the impacts from being realized, is the main strategy and approach in environmental health. The way land is used can impact health determinants and health outcomes, yet decisions about land-use planning and regulation are often made without specific review or discussion of the potential health consequences. For example, public health professionals assert that development that does not enable physical activity (no sidewalks, dangerous intersections, poorly lighted areas), access to healthy food (no grocery stores, farmers’ markets, or other convenient opportunities to obtain fresh food), or provide for clean air and water can reduce positive health outcomes and lead to increases in obesity, heart disease, asthma, and other preventable illnesses. The goal of HIA is to apply available research about health impacts to specific land-use questions to develop evidence-based recommendations to inform decisionmaking (Salkin P. and Ko, P. 2001). HIA can promote public health objectives and improves communication between local governments and their associated health agencies, as HIA has its roots in assessments more familiar to planners, such as the environmental i