SARAWAK PKR has urged the Social Welfare Department to boost efforts to reach out to handicapped folk living in the rural areas of the state.
Senator Abun Sui, who is the Sarawak PKR chairman, said more than 6,000 longhouses have residents who are bedridden or wheelchair bound.
“There is an urgent need for the Welfare Department to reach out to these folk via its mobile units,” he said.
“Some of them are in dire need of assistance and the department must make an effort to visit these outskirt locations.
“We cannot expect the handicapped to come to the Welfare Department.
On Monday, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri issued an urgent appeal for more efforts to bring the plights of disabled people to the attention of the authorities as many of them are believed to be suffering in isolation without any form of government aid.
She said this is especially true in rural Sarawak, where such situations are prevalent.
According to the ministry’s latest figures, 681,074 people are registered as disabled, or “orang kurang upaya” (OKU) in Malaysia.
“In Sarawak, many OKU could be living in away from others in the remote villages and longhouses,” she said.
Sui, who is also the Sarawak Pakatan Harapan information chief said the handicapped in remote locations do not have the means to travel to the city or town to seek aid from the Welfare Departmen.
"The welfare units must seek out the handicapped. That is the only viable way to be more effective in their outreach." – The Vibes, December 6, 2023
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