KUCHING, Sept 29: Sarawakians who are senior citizens of 60 years old and above will be given a Gold Card which offers certain privileges starting January next year.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said her ministry through its Women’s Council is in the midst of formulating the Gold Card Policy which is similar to that of Singapore and New Zealand.
“We want to tell the world that the Sarawak government is a caring government.
“With this Gold Card, the senior citizens can enjoy certain privileges and benefits from organizations and commercial sectors, who have a caring heart for the aged group. We too want the society to give back to the society.
“Discussions and benchmarking exercises are presently in progress. We target this Gold Card to be issued by January 2020,” she was speaking during the state level Women’s Day 2019 celebration at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday (Sept 28).
Fatimah noted that Malaysia would be an aged country by the year 2030, and the state government has to face this upcoming challenge by providing better care for its aged citizens.
“As such, it is deemed necessary for us to draw strategies and action plans on how to address this.
“In order for us to formulate evidence-based policies, the Ministry will soon be engaging a consultant to do a study on the needs and requirements of the aged society in Sarawak,” she said, referring to the Gold Card initiative. — DayakDaily
