Tabung Kasih@HAWANA A Lifeline For Journalists Battling Illness And Hardships

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Bernama) -- The Tabung Kasih@HAWANA aid is a beacon of hope for media practitioners struggling with various life challenges, whether health issues or family burdens.

Former head of the Sabah and Sarawak New Straits Times Editorial Division, Joseph Bingkasan, 70, said that as a bone cancer patient since 2014, the financial aid he received was very meaningful in helping him purchase medication and undergo weekly dialysis treatment.

“Cancer and kidney failure patients like me really need assistance to buy medicine. Government hospitals don’t provide cancer medication; patients have to buy it themselves. This fund brings patients hope and motivation to persevere,” he told Bernama in Kota Kinabalu.

Joseph has vast experience in journalism, starting as a sub-editor at the Kinabalu Sabah Times in 1977 before joining the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) as a correspondent in Sabah.

He also suggested that Tabung Kasih@HAWANA aid be expanded to support more members of the media in need, considering that many are sick or retired without a strong support network.

Meanwhile, Bernama Sabah bureau staff member Ermmah Wati Atan, 46, who is battling cancer, said the financial aid helped cover her medication and daily expenses.

“I am very grateful to the government for this contribution and hope more parties will come forward to extend such assistance to those of us who truly need it to continue living,” she said.

For Bernama stringer in Sabah, Emin Madi, 75, Tabung Kasih@HAWANA is a meaningful form of appreciation and recognition for media practitioners, especially those who are no longer employed full-time with media companies due to age or other reasons.

“I truly appreciate the contribution from Tabung Kasih@HAWANA and I hope media practitioners who benefit from the fund will continue playing an active role in national development and unity through journalism,” he said.

In Perlis, last year’s recipient, Noor Sara Mashitoh Mohamad Hanif, 40, a single mother of six children aged three to 13, said the assistance helped cover her daily expenses.

“Alhamdulillah, it was enough to cover our necessities. At the time, my children were starting school, so I used the aid to buy school supplies and other essentials,” said the Harakah journalist, whose husband died of a heart attack in October 2021.

She expressed gratitude to the government and said the fund was very beneficial for media frontliners who worked hard to deliver accurate and timely information to the public.

A former stringer in Pahang, Khairulmizan Yahya, 41, said there are no words that could express his gratitude for the assistance he received in February last year, which helped him address his children’s health issues.

The father of two, who worked with Sinar Harian, Harian Metro and Kosmo between 2006 and 2022, said the aid came at the right time to cover the cost of special milk and hospital travel for his two children.

“In addition to respiratory issues, my youngest child has a milk allergy and needs special milk that costs RM109 per 400-gramme tin, which lasts less than a week. So when I received the aid, I was truly relieved,” said Khairulmizan, who is now self-employed and resides in Kampung Sungai Baging, Kuantan.

MalaysiaGazette cameraman Mohd Airulrezal Amirudin, 43, said the fund helped him through a difficult time after he was involved in a work-related accident last year.

“Tabung Kasih@HAWANA helps media practitioners and eases the burden of those facing difficulties, especially accident victims like me,” he said, expressing hope that the initiative would continue to support media practitioners in distress.

For Utusan Malaysia Perak bureau photographer Muhamad Nazreen Syah Musthafa, 36, the contribution he received during Aidilfitri was incredibly meaningful, as he needed to bear monthly treatment costs of up to RM5,000 for his two children with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), a rare genetic skin condition.

“At the time, we were really struggling to pay for the medicine and wound dressings. Alhamdulillah, the assistance came just in time. I’m deeply thankful to Tabung Kasih@HAWANA, the Ministry of Communications and Bernama,” he said.

Muhamad Nazreen’s children, Aina Afieyah, nine, and Muhamad Mikhail, three, were both diagnosed with Recessive Dystrophic EB, a condition that makes their skin extremely fragile and prone to injuries, including on the eyes and other parts of the body. His wife, Norshuadah Abu Bakar, 32, is a housewife.

As of June 9, a total of 405 media practitioners nationwide have received aid under the Tabung Kasih@HAWANA initiative since its launch in conjunction with the National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) in 2023.

The fund was established as a Communications Ministry initiative and implemented through Bernama to support serving and retired journalists and other media practitioners who are facing hardships or financial difficulties.

-- BERNAMA