By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 30: Housewives in Sarawak aged below 55 are eligible for protection against domestic accidents and invalidity under Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Housewives Social Security Scheme (SKSSR) effective Dec 1 last year.
The definition of an eligible housewife under SKSSR is a woman who is either single or married, managing the household full-time or part-time, including being a wife, mother, widow, divorcee or single mother.
All that is needed is to pay a contribution of RM120 per year in advance, equivalent to RM10 per month, to receive 12 consecutive months of coverage.
According to Minister of Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, Sarawak has recorded 40,298 contributors under SKSSR to date, which is the highest in Malaysia.
This was revealed during a press conference after Socso Sarawak’s courtesy visit to her at Baitul Makmur 2 building here today.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Women and Family Department (JWKS) director Salmah Jobeli explained that the list of contributors was originally obtained from the list of Sarawakian housewives and single mothers registered in the National Database on Poverty (eKasih) and later shortlisted by Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for the Suri Voluntary Incentive Scheme (i-Suri).
Under the i-Suri programme, the federal government contributed a special yearly incentive of up to RM480 to every account holder while the Sarawak government pumped in an additional RM60 credit assistance into the account of Sarawakian i-Suri members.
Thus, the eKasih and i-Suri members registered last year automatically became SKSSR contributors. Nevertheless, other women can also sign up for SKSSR voluntarily.
“In the eKasih, Sarawak has registered 1,869 hardcore poor housewives. Therefore, we hope the upcoming Budget 2023 to be announced by Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim will have a certain allocation to assist these housewives so they can register as contributors for the SKSSR this year,” Fatimah said.
After the press conference, Fatimah witnessed the handing over the SKSSR funeral management benefit (FPM) worth RM2,000 to Amran Abdullah, husband of the late Alina Salleh, who was registered under the scheme.
The 52-year-old Alina died at Sarawak General Hospital on Dec 12 due to kidney failure. She had four children with Amran.
Amongst those present were the ministry’s permanent secretary Noriah Ahmad, Salmah, Socso Sarawak director Tan Phang Chia, and Socso Sarawak Synergy Division chief Rahmat Ismail. — DayakDaily
