Lau (fourth right) graces the OKU Community Club’s First Anniversary cum Mid-Autumn Festival celebration, and joined by Yap on her left and others.
SIBU: Lanang MP Alice Lau Kiong Yieng has revealed a plan to provide insurance coverage for Persons with Disabilities (OKUs) in her constituency.
Lau disclosed that she might also discuss with Sibu MP Oscar Ling on the plan to perhaps jointly roll out this programme in Sibu parliamentary constituency.
For a start, Lau said that she was targeting some 100 OKUs in her constituency and would increase the number if the response is good.
“For now, my initial plan is to give (insurance coverage to) 100 OKUs for Lanang (parliamentary constituency) and if the response is good, I will add in extra.
“At the moment, I think most of them (OKUs) don’t have any insurance plan. So, this is a good start for them in addition to the monthly welfare assistance (they are receiving) from Welfare Department,” Lau told reporters this after officiating at OKU Community Club’s First Anniversary cum Mid-Autumn Festival celebration at a leading hotel here last night.
While hoping to get the plan implemented this year and could well kick-off as early as next week, she said that she could not announce just yet as she had to ensure everything in her plan is in proper order.
“I will use my allocation to purchase the insurance (coverage), where this is a yearly insurance (plan) – means you don’t have to pay (the premium) monthly.
“I mean, at least they have one insurance (coverage) for their families. Just in case something happens, the OKUs – if they have children – their children will get the protection, or for their parents,” she said.
Pressed further for details, Lau pointed out that she did not have the full details of the plan off-hand.
Asked on the type of the insurance for this group of people, she said it would be a personal accident (PA) insurance that would also enable the person insured to be given allowance if the individual is hospitalised.
Touching on the criteria, she said that to be eligible the person must not have multiple disabilities and not having mental problem.
Towards this end, she wanted to make the process for the insurance coverage very easy and hassle-free for the eligible OKUs.
“When you buy insurance, you need a beneficiary – that is what we need to ask them for details from their families.
“It (the process) is very easy actually – (furnish) the OKU card and ‘waris’ (beneficiary) details. It is a very simple process; we don’t want to create any hassle for them (OKUs),” she said.
She hoped to get the information on OKUs from the Social Welfare Department and OKU Community Club to enable her to better assist this group of people.
The club chairman Yap Chong Yap delivered the welcoming address earlier.