KUCHING, Aug 23 — The Social Welfare Department (JKM) has spent about RM728.5 million to support the welfare of senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PwD) and chronic patients nationwide as of June this year.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the allocation was channelled through the Senior Citizen Assistance (BWE) and the Assistance for Care of Bedridden Persons with Disabilities and Bedridden Chronic Patients (BPT).

“To ease the burden on families, the Social Welfare Department also assists with the care of bedridden persons with disabilities, bedridden chronic patients and non-bedridden chronic patients who meet the eligibility criteria.

“As of June 2026, a total of 42,036 recipients nationwide had received this assistance, involving expenditure of more than RM119.5 million,” she said when officiating the Sarawak-level SPeKTRUM Caregiver Support Programme at the state branch of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) here today.

Nancy said during the same period, BWE was channelled to 170,133 recipients nationwide, involving expenditure of more than RM609 million.

On the distribution in Sarawak, she said 23,034 senior citizens in the state had benefited from BWE, involving an allocation of more than RM94.3 million, while more than RM10.4 million had been channelled to 3,235 BPT recipients in the state.

Meanwhile, Nancy stressed that strengthening the country’s care ecosystem was important, particularly to ensure the welfare of caregivers looking after these groups was also safeguarded.

She said the responsibility of caring for those who were frail or bedridden should not rest solely on families without strong support from various quarters.

“That is why, through SPeKTRUM, caregivers are provided with training, psychosocial support and motivation so that they can provide the best care without neglecting their own health,” she said. — Bernama