KUCHING: Sarawak is preparing to care for its elderly population as it is set to become an ageing state by 2028, with the population of elderly people reaching 15 percent.

According to Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, due to the increasing proportion of elderly people, Sarawak is set to age more rapidly than other states in Malaysia.

“We plan to carry out research this year with three universities in Sarawak to study the age demographics in the state.

“This preparation aims to make sure that Sarawak can provide the right support systems and services for older residents,” she said.

She said this during her speech at the 25th Annual General Meeting of the Malaysian Chinese Muslim Association (MACMA) Sarawak for 2024, which took place at the Islam Information Centre in Kuching on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Dato Sri Fatimah took the opportunity at the event to introduce a new initiative called the Senior Citizen Health Benefit (SCHB), which is available for eligible elderly residents of Sarawak.

To qualify for the SCHB, one must be a Malaysian citizen aged 60 or more, with a household income not exceeding RM7,000.

“With the help of SAINS, 75,000 names of eligible individuals have been recorded in the system,” she added.

By simply bringing your identification card to a SCHB panel clinic for treatment, the receptionist will use the system to check the names of eligible elderly individuals, and an appointment with the doctor will be scheduled.

SCHB provides two types of services which are health care and dental treatment.

Also present were the Chairman of MACMA Sarawak, Mohammad Tony Ong Abdullah, President of MACMA, Prof Datuk Dr. Taufig Yap Yun Hin, as well as the MACMA Sarawak committee members and others . -UKASnews