MELAKA: Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil today visited a stroke patient in Kampung Cheng, Paya Rumput, to offer support and help expedite welfare assistance under the Ziarah Kasih initiative.
Nurfarawahida Zainal Abidin, 37, who is single and unemployed, suffered a stroke in February and is currently receiving nerve massage treatment from a neurologist in Melaka.
The second of four siblings, she is now cared for by her mother, Sarah Husin, 64, who is also unemployed.
Fahmi said community outreach programmes were important not only for understanding the health and welfare challenges faced by individuals but also for identifying wider administrative and policy-related issues.
“This is an important programme that allows us to reach out to, engage with, and strive to understand the issues faced by individuals who may be dealing with health or welfare-related challenges. We can take the time to examine not just the problems of a single individual, but also issues that are more systemic or policy-related in nature.
“For instance, in the case of a household I previously assisted – that of Puan Nurfarawahida – the family mentioned that they had applied for zakat aid, but it has yet to be received. When we look into cases like this, we can try to expedite matters by reaching out to the relevant authorities to understand the nature of the problem – for example, if there are any administrative issues,” he told reporters here today.
Fahmi said continued monitoring of welfare cases at the grassroots level would help identify delays in aid distribution and enable the relevant agencies to coordinate with the authorities to resolve them.
He added that the initiative would continue to ensure community grievances were addressed and that those in need of assistance were not overlooked.