Saudi Gazette report

SUPERANNUATION helps employees lead a relaxed life without the need to worry about a source of income for their upkeep when they retire after long years of hard work in private and public sector institutions. But many employees in Saudi Arabia, especially those suffering from chronic ailments, face a lot hardship after retirement from active service because their pension plan does not include health insurance.

A big majority of the pensioners suffer from chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and geriatric diseases that require them to use medications regularly and the amount pension they receive is insufficient to meet their medical expenses in the absence of any health insurance protection.

Some of the pensioners said they need at least SR6,000 a month to fulfill their basic needs. There have also been calls for pensioners to be paid an annual allowance and to allocate 20 percent of charitable housing projects for them.

These people have made remarkable contributions to the overall development of the country and therefore deserve greater care and better services in the twilight years of their life. There should be entertainment facilities for them including clubs to practice their hobbies. They should also be given special discounts at shopping malls and service centers. These were some of the views expressed by some of the retired employees and social workers during a discussion about life after retirement with Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

Mishaal Omar Al-Hadiras, an educationist, called for the establishment of a fund in coordination with the Saudi Credit Bank to support the pensioners. He stressed the need to increase the monthly pension of civilian and military employees to a minimum of SR6,000.

"The government should give the retirees an annual allowance equal to one fourth of the last allowance they received before retirement," Al-Hadiras told Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

He urged the authorities to provide health insurance coverage to the retirees and their families, in addition to allocating 20 percent of charitable housing projects for the needy among the retirees. "Partnership agreements should be signed with various agencies to provide the retirees with special discounts while purchasing goods and services," Al-Hadiras said.

This system can be implemented through companies having branches in all 13 regions of the Kingdom.

"At least three representatives of the retirees should be appointed to the board directors of the Public Pension Agency (PPA) and another three to the board of directors of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) to make their voices heard," Al-Hadiras added.

Hassan Yahya Aseeri urged the PPA to establish an association for retirees in Bisha and open health and sports clubs for them. This will enable the retirees to make use of their time in a constructive and healthy manner. He lamented that the retirees are denied many services and privileges.

"Banks do not give retirees loans as if they are going to die the next day. At the same time, the very banks had been tempting them to take out loans during their active career life," Aseeri said.

Airline companies must offer special discounts to retirees who travel for medical treatment, he added.

Bawaireed Ayed Al-Bishi called upon the government to extend special treatment to the retirees, saying they deserve more privileges to confront life's realities. "I would like to request Saudi Arabian Airlines and private hospitals to provide special discounts to the retirees. Commercial banks must be instructed to provide loans to the retirees without creating obstacles," he explained.

Ali Al-Rumaih said: "A separate fund should be set to support the retirees, in addition to building sports, cultural and social clubs to ensure their welfare."

Hamad Al-Wanin, on the other hand, said: "The authorities to make use of the expertise of retired civilian and military officers in a befitting manner. These people could give training to young employees in different fields." The government should provide them with financial support to open business ventures as well, he added.

Mufleh Fuwairan, Ibrahim Munshi and Hamadi Al-Fahimi all stressed the need to make use of the retirees' expertise as is the practice in many advanced countries. They urged the authorities to increase dearness allowance given to the retirees from SR500 to SR1,000.

Mohammed Al-Qarnas, chairman of the Association of Retirees in the Eastern Province, said: "Our main demand is free health insurance coverage. We hope the PPA and GOSI would take appropriate measures to ensure provision of this important service."

He said in the absence of health insurance the retirees are forced to spend the lion's share of their pension on treatment and medication.

Speaking about other major demands, he said: "We need an increase in the pension amount to meet our expenses. We have noticed that retirees of some private companies receive higher amounts in pension compared to government employees. Some of the retired government employees do not even get SR4,000 a month."