Injured Hawker Grateful To Receive SKSPS Benefits From Perkeso

BUKIT MERTAJAM, July 10 (Bernama) -- A hawker who was involved in a road accident is grateful to have received temporary disability benefits of RM13,354 through the Social Security Organisation's (Perkeso) Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS).

S.Vijayaletchime, 40, a mixed-rice seller at a kopitiam here, said she and her husband S.Thiago, 50, were involved in an accident in August last year while returning from a supermarket.

"At that time, I was riding pillion on my husband's motorcycle when we were involved in an accident with another motorcycle near my house in Taman Machang Bubok here. I  suffered knee and hip injuries that confined me to my bed for about three months.

"So I had to close my stall for three months and during that period I had no income," she told reporters at her home here today.

She was met after receiving a mock cheque and a visit from Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, who is also the Bukit Mertajam member of parliament, and Perkeso group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.

Vijayaletchime said that during the three months, the family was assisted by her daughter's husband and her husband's brother, while the benefits received were able to help settle debts and cover family expenses.

The mother of two children, aged 23 and 17, said she was also grateful to Sim because the SKSPS contribution was paid by Sim.

"Right after the accident, I contacted Perkeso and it was easy to claim the benefits. I recommend all traders to make these contributions because they are very helpful if an accident happens," she said.

Meanwhile, Sim said the Perkeso SKSPS contributions for more than 3,000 hawkers in the Bukit Mertajam parliament constituency have been sponsored.

"This year, there are about 10 hawkers here (Bukit Mertajam parliamentary constituency) under the SKSPS who have received various benefits from Perkeso involving a total of RM30,507.64," he also said.

He added that throughout last year, a total of 800,000 people registered for the SKSPS, with a total of 3,557 claims involving RM12.5 million as of May 31

-- BERNAMA