PUTATAN: Malaysia National Single Mothers Association (PITKM) will be distributing discount cards to its members and is working towards getting free life insurance coverage for the single mothers in the association.
Its president, Datuk Melati Ali, said the discount card had already been approved by the government and the list of names would be forwarded to them after applications from its association at each parliamentary level in the 13 states have been collected during the national general meeting on April 17.
“The government has approved the discount card but I have not yet received the list of names. We will gather all the names of members through Malaysia and submit them collectively,”said Melati.
The cards will enable their members to purchase items such as school uniforms and food with a 25% discount at various business premises selected by the government throughout the nation.
She said so far only members from PITKM Melaka have received the discount cards.
“Our association is also striving to get free life insurance coverage promised by the government to single mothers. It has not been implemented yet as there are no insurance body that has been appointed for it.
“PITKM will acquire recommendations to get an insurance company that will give them the lowest rates without compromising the insurance coverage,”said the president.
Melati highlighted that the association, who would like to manage the insurance through the PITKM foundation, will focus the coverage on hospitalization and death at the first stage.
In the future, she said the association might extend the coverage to health assistance and so forth.
Last year, the association launched its PITKM card in Melaka to help members eliminate red tape and get automatic assistance, such as zakat and contributions, from religious departments, community welfare bodies and elected representatives’ office.
“The card is a license for our members to get assistance. It is similar to an identification card as it will verify the status and membership of single mothers under the association,” said Melati.
The RM3 membership card, registered according to parliamentary constituency in the country, must be returned to the registered office should any of the members were to get married.
The three-year-old association, which aims to help and support single mothers, is open to all.
Widowed mothers, women abandoned by husbands, women who have husbands working far away from home for long period of time, women who have husbands who are rendered incapable of providing for the household due to incurable medical conditions, and women aged 45 and above who have at least one child and who do not plan to get married again, are among those qualified to join, said the PITKM president.