KUALA LUMPUR, March 8 – The National Disaster Management Agency’s (NADMA) funeral assistance programme has distributed more than RM89.3 million to the next of kin of those who lost their lives to Covid-19.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Abdul Latiff Ahmad, in a written parliamentary reply yesterday, said more than 17,800 people nationwide have been helped so far by the Covid funeral aid programme, which provides a one-off RM5,000 assistance to family members of Covid-19 victims.
NADMA received a total of 38,431 applications, as of February 28, of which 17,867 had been approved and 279 denied, as the applicants were ineligible for the aid. There are 20,285 pending applications for assistance, with some submitting incomplete documents.
NADMA is actively contacting these applicants for further inquiry, Abdul Latiff said in response to Alor Setar MP Chan Ming Kai’s question on the amount of financial assistance distributed to families of Covid-19 victims.
By state, the highest aid distribution was in Selangor at RM29.57 million involving 5,914 next of kin. This is followed by Kuala Lumpur at RM10.25 million (2,050 families), Johor at RM7.68 million (1,535 families), Kedah at RM6.51 million (1,301 families), Sabah at RM5.36 million (1,071 families), and Sarawak at RM4.78 million (955 families).
The programme allows for next of kin of Covid-19 deaths involving a Malaysian citizen in Malaysia to request for special assistance. Applicants must send in the documentation, which includes a death certificate that must clearly state Covid-19 as the cause of death.
Only one heir is eligible to receive this special assistance. If there is more than one application submitted by the heirs of the deceased, NADMA will only consider the first application received.
A total of 33,304 people have died from Covid-19 in Malaysia.
