KUCHING: As 2025 draws to a close, an elderly stroke patient in the city highlights ongoing struggles among urban poor families relying on community support and compassion.
Hope Place Kuching recently visited a 65-year-old man living in a cramped rented room at a Mile 7 shoplot, following a debilitating stroke last December.
“Cases like this remind us how fragile livelihoods become after serious illness, especially for families already living at the edge,” said a Hope Place in a press statement today.
The patient, Engkamat Entali, originally hails from Sri Aman, where he and his wife once sustained themselves through small-scale paddy and pepper farming.
Their modest but independent life changed drastically in 2020 when Engkamat was diagnosed with coronary disease, requiring frequent medical monitoring and treatment.
In 2023, the couple decided Engkamat should relocate to Kuching to ensure easier access to hospitals, leaving their farmland under his wife’s care.
Engkamat moved into a small rented room with his daughter, Alicia, then 22, who took on work as a cashier earning minimum wage.
“Despite limited income, the daughter has shown remarkable responsibility in supporting her parents, even as costs continue to rise,” the Hope Place representative added.
Last year, Engkamat’s condition worsened significantly when he suffered a stroke, prompting his wife, Ing, 59, to leave Sri Aman and join him in Kuching.
Now recovering, Engkamat remains extremely weak and relies on tube feeding, as swallowing difficulties prevent him from consuming food normally.
The family of three currently survives in the single rented room, depending largely on Alicia’s income as the sole breadwinner.
“We are assisting with special milk supplements to ensure proper nutrition, but sustained support from the public is still very much needed,” said Hope Place.
Engkamat has recently begun receiving RM200 monthly in social welfare assistance, which offers slight relief but remains insufficient for medical and living expenses.
Hope Place, or Persatuan Kebajikan Harapan Kuching (PKHK), can be contacted at 082-505987 or 013-5672775 for those wishing to help.
Donations can be channelled to Maybank account 511289001160, or via Sarawak Pay and S PAY GLOBAL QR codes available on Hope Place’s Facebook page.
