Elderly, Sickly Grateful For Increase In Assistance

Puspha Mani, 58, a heart patient with 11 per cent kidney functioning, thanked Government for the increase in social welfare assistance.

“This Government will be working for four years and I am hopeful for better assistance,” said Ms Mani of Tabucola, Labasa.

“I have been living with my only child who looks after me and we survive on social welfare assistance.”

Her cousin Utra Wati, 69, was grateful.

“Things are getting expensive including medicines since not all medicines are available at hospitals and we have to buy from the pharmacy,” Ms Wati said.

“I have high blood pressure and diabetes and with increase in allocation I do not need to worry about asking money from others.”

Ami Chand, a former sugarcane farmer of Tabucola, Labasa, said he was thankful to Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad, for thinking about the elderly in Fiji.

“For 40 years, I worked in my sugarcane farm and after the land lease expired, I stayed at home,” Mr Chand said.

“I have four children and to survive I had to apply for social welfare assistance.”

The father of four children said if this assistance was not provided, then he would have been on the street begging.

Story By: Shratika Naidu

Feedback: shratikan@fijisun.com.fj