Bed-ridden Dayak couple denied financial aid by welfare department?

By Edward Andrew Luwak

Both Paral anak Atup, 70 and his wife Nyudam anak Ndot, 68 of Kampung Tepoi in Tebedu District, Serian Division are old, sick and bed ridden.  

Paral anak Atup

Paral suffers from colon ulcer and also underwent an operation to remove blood clot in his brain. His wife Nyudam suffered a stroke and is suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. 

Paral is nursed by his daughter Rona, a farmer who is having a family of her own. She has four children.  Nyudam is in the care of her daughter Rito, a housewife with three children. 

As Paral’s children are having families of their own they find it really a heavy burden to look after their bed ridden parents. 

The economic down turn makes it even more pressing.To lessen the burden on Rona and Rito, the other siblings take turn to look after their parents.

For each of their parents they have to spend more than RM500 for the purchase of pampers, hand gloves, wet tissue and tissue rolls. 

Besides that they have to spend on transport expenses to send them to government clinics or hospitals to get medication or for follow-up medical check.

Several attempts have been made applying for the Welfare Department’s welfare assistances but their applications have been not been considered. The reasons given were that they had children who could look after them.

Nyudam anak Ndot

In cases like this, it is not quite right for the Welfare Services Department to deny them the welfare assistance on the basis that they have many children. 

It should be taken into account that these people are the rural poor who are mere farmers. On top of that they have their families to support. 

In a case like this, and there are many more, we are not talking about the “well to do” people. We are highlighting genuine poor cases.

Normally there is no problem in children looking after their parents at old age. However, this responsibility is normally confined to providing them with a place to stay, giving them food and comfort. 

In times when their parents fall sick and the sickness drag on for long, the burden on the children becomes heavy. The need for welfare assistance then comes in.

It has to be taken into account that Paral and his wife have been living healthy lives during their young days. 

They have contributed towards nation building, in a way, as they planted rubber, cocoa, pepper and others. They should be relieved of their hardships when they are old, weak and sick.