Welfare

Taufik, the deaf and mute Lombok hero, is set to end years of suffering after a Malaysian ear specialist offered to treat the disabled Indonesian.

Sepasang suami isteri orang kelainan upaya (OKU) penglihatan berniaga sarung bantal secara kecil-kecilan di Pasar Awam Kulim di sini, sebagai usaha untuk menyara kehidupan mereka. Dengan kemampuan yang terbatas, pasangan Mona Ahmad, 41, dan Abd Hamid Mat Piah, 58, terpaksa berulang-alik setiap hari dari rumah mereka di Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang ke pasar awam di sini demi mencari sesuap nasi.

Under Bantuan Sihat Selangor, the state government has schemes offering up to RM5,000 for each patient in the B40 category (bottom 40% or low-income).The state has allocated RM5mil for this scheme and patients can apply for funds for kidney dialysis, prosthetic legs, minor surgery, cancer treatment, eye cataract operation, physiotherapy treatment and other hospital-recommended needs.

The disabled community can now make use of the new Disabled Leaders Training Centre in SS2, Petaling Jaya. The new three-storey building, which also serves as the new headquarters of the Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled, is equipped with a physical therapy room, classrooms, counselling rooms, dormitories, multipurpose hall and wheelchair-friendly kitchen.

The Education Ministry has identified four groups whom it wants to see enrolled in larger numbers at higher education institutions nationwide starting this year, says minister Dr Maszlee Malik. The four groups are athletes, orang asli, B40 group and the disabled.

Parents of special children in Selangor can apply for financial assistance from a fund set up by the state government beginning this year. Dubbed Bantuan Khas Anak Istemewa Selangor (AnIS), an amount of RM500,000 has been allocated for 2019.

Members of Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled thronged the centre in Kepong, Selangor, during a half-day programme with Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) and Social Welfare Department (JKM).

Anak Allahyarham Tan Sri P Ramlee, Sazali, 61, yang juga pemegang kad Orang Kelainan Upaya (OKU) kini hanya bergantung kepada bantuan bulanan RM650 disebabkan tidak mampu bekerja selepas terbabit dalam kemalangan pada 2012.

Awareness about discrimination and steps to create inclusiveness and respect for those who are disabled needs to be addressed, says Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) president S.M. Mohamed Idris.

Teenager Iman Haiqal Saiful is not letting his physical condition stop him from achieving his dream of representing Malaysia in an international sporting event.