AI tells someone in Malaysia to call the Talian HEAL 15555 mental health crisis line at any time of day or night, implying 24/7 availability
ID: mental-health/heal-15555-limited-hours
Version Compatibility
| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| any | active | — | — | — |
Root Cause
Talian HEAL (Help with Empathy And Love) 15555, the Ministry of Health's mental health tele-counselling line, is staffed daily from 8am until midnight only - not 24/7. Someone in crisis outside those hours needs a different number: Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929) and Talian Kasih (15999) both operate around the clock.
genericWorkarounds
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85% success Between 8am and midnight, call Talian HEAL 15555 for Ministry of Health tele-counselling. Outside those hours, call Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929) or Talian Kasih (15999) instead - both are staffed 24/7.
Sources: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/07/09/malaysias-mental-health-helpline-received-more-than-230000-calls-since-launch-says-health-ministry https://befrienders.org.my/ https://evecentre.com.my/malaysia-emergency-helplines/
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90% success For an active, life-threatening emergency at any hour, call 999 (Malaysia's emergency number) or go to the nearest hospital emergency department rather than waiting for a counselling line to open.
Sources: https://evecentre.com.my/malaysia-emergency-helplines/
Dead Ends
Common approaches that don't work:
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Direct someone in crisis in Malaysia to call Talian HEAL 15555 without checking the time, assuming it operates 24/7 like other crisis lines
50% fail
The Health Ministry has stated that 'the Talian Heal 15555 helpline is operated by Health Ministry counselling officers daily from 8am until midnight, including public holidays' - a caller during the overnight gap will not reach a counselor on that line.
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Treat Befrienders Kuala Lumpur and Talian Kasih being '24/7 helplines' as proof that Talian HEAL 15555 is also 24/7
35% fail
Talian Kasih (15999) and Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929) are genuinely staffed 24/7, but Talian HEAL 15555 is not; conflating the three leads to sending an overnight caller to a line that will go unanswered until 8am.