THE shocking incident of a blind woman who stayed with her daughter's body for six days in Kampung Teluk Sabang, Samarahan, shows the importance of others, especially community leaders, to help keep an eye on others, particularly those living alone.
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said the incident was very sad and she believed it could have been avoided if the community had been concerned about its neighbours.
She said village heads should always monitor the residents under their responsibility, especially those who have health problems and live far from others.
"We should not only pay attention to the problems of the residents during the election season but always be sensitive to neighbours and individuals who need help.
"We appoint community leaders and volunteers in the village to be the eyes and ears of welfare agencies, and they need to know who is living alone and who needs help," she said in Santubong, today.
She said this when commenting on the incident of an elderly woman with visual impairment who had to crawl out of her house to Jalan Kampung Telok Sabang, Kota Samarahan to seek help after several days living with her daughter's body.
Nancy said the 69-year-old woman is now being placed at the Rumah Seri Kenangan (RSK) in Kuching and she has been informed that a health check-up and several further procedures will be arranged to ensure her welfare and treatment are guaranteed.
"It would be better for her to be placed at the RSK because she lives alone and has no relatives. If there is a family, they will of course take her in, but so far no one has come forward to take her.
"The woman's residence is quite far from others and she was forced to crawl out onto the road to seek help, after realising that her child, who lived with her, had died a few days ago," she said.
She also urged any individual facing difficulties in caring for family members, especially the elderly or the disabled (OKU), to contact JKM in Sarawak for advice and appropriate assistance. "The government provides many facilities, but the community needs to know where to get help. Do not be afraid or shy, because our priority is to ensure the welfare of all, including those living alone," she said.
It was earlier reported that an elderly woman with visual impairment was found after she crawled out of her house in a weak state onto Kampung Telok Sabang Road, in Kota Samarahan recently to seek help after several days of living with her daughter's body.
Kota Samarahan District Police Chief, Superintendent Damataries Lautin, said that the woman's 48-year-old daughter had previously complained of chest pain and shortness of breath on November 30.
According to him, the woman realised that her daughter had died, but was unable to do anything, other than hoping that someone would come to help.
However, the increasingly strong smell of the corpse caused the woman to no longer be able to hold on and muster all her strength to crawl out of the house by touch along a narrow trail for about 150 metres. – December 6, 2025
