A TOTAL of 380,626 senior citizens in Sarawak has registered as holders of the Kenyalang Gold Card (KGC) since the initiative was introduced in 2020.
Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said the state government remains committed to strengthening the wellbeing of senior citizens through various welfare and healthcare initiatives.
“Out of the total, 14,517 KGC holders have activated their digital cards through the SarawakPASS application,” she said in her ministerial winding-up speech during the DUN sitting today.
Fatimah said she said senior citizens can now enjoy discounts, rebates and services offered by 1,290 strategic KGC business partners throughout Sarawak.
During the same period, she said 30,752 beneficiaries of KGC holders received assistance under the ‘Bantuan Ihsan Kematian’ (BIK) scheme, involving an allocation of RM79.9 million.
“In line with the Sarawak Government’s digitalisation efforts, beginning January 2026, BIK applications can now be submitted online through the SarawakPASS application, while manual applications are still maintained,” she added.
Fatimah also highlighted the implementation of the Senior Citizen Health Benefit (SCHB) scheme, which has registered 226,801 senior citizens as beneficiaries since its introduction in August 2024 until April this year.
She said the scheme has so far involved total expenditure amounting to RM86.3 million.
According to her, 257 out of 477 private clinics and hospitals in Sarawak have registered as SCHB panel providers to improve healthcare access for senior citizens.
Meanwhile, Fatimah said the ministry also continues to strengthen community-based programmes for the elderly through the operation of 30 Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas (PAWE) and eight Pusat Perkhidmatan Warga Emas (PPWE) statewide as of April 30 this year.
“These initiatives have successfully engaged 20,234 senior citizens through various community activities supported by government allocations aimed at promoting wellbeing, social participation and active ageing,” she said.
