KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Zulkarnain Hamzah, 46, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006 due to emotional stress after witnessing a colleague plunge to his death while working on a telecommunications tower.
Things took a turn for the worse after the passing of his mother in 2021 from old age and his older brother last year from cancer. These losses exacerbated his emotional stress, which caused him to lose the ability to work and care for himself.
Zulkarnain’s plight was shared by his sister Azlina Hamzah, 48, when met at the Rumah Kasih Harapan Kak Wan handover in Bandar Tun Razak today.
“My brother is delighted after seeing the house in such beautiful and vibrant colours. Some parts of the house have been repaired, such as the ceiling and leaky pipes, which gives him peace of mind.
“On behalf of my brother, I would like to say thank you. I am grateful for the efforts done by the Bandar Tun Razak Parliamentary office; we never expected the house to be as beautiful as it was when our parents were still alive,” she said, adding that she hopes it would help Zulkarnain to recover fully.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s wife cum Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the programme was a collaboration with the Yayasan Gerbang Bandar Tun Razak introduced this year.
“The programme provides cost-free house renovation for selected B40 participants. For subsequent projects, renovations will be done through sponsorships from private entities, manufacturers, housing developers and others,” she said, adding that renovating one housing unit is around RM30,000.
Dr Wan Azizah said the first house which received the benefit was a unit at Apartment Seri Penara, Bandar Sri Permaisuri, in May this year.
“…we are committed to improving the people’s living standards, particularly the urban poor. There is no specific target for this initiative because we want to find those who genuinely need assistance so that the screening process may take time, and there may be constraints from contractors. However, we will continue to do our best to help,” she said.
— Bernama
