FAMILIES of those who died due to the effects of long Covid may be given financial assistance, says Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

       “The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has no objections to considering such aid for those who pass away due to the effects of long Covid, as long as the stipulated conditions are fulfilled,” the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said in a written reply in Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

       He was replying to a question raised by Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah (Pejuang-Kubang Pasu) who wanted to know how many families benefited from the RM5,000 special funeral aid provided to families of Covid-19 victims.

       Amiruddin also wanted to know if this aid would be extended to families of those who died from long Covid.

       Abdul Latiff said as of Feb 28, Nadma had approved 17,867 eligible applications involving a total of RM89.33mil, and added that certain conditions must be met before the RM5,000 was approved.

       He noted that the aid was not given automatically as the affected families must apply for it.

       “The families must also appoint or choose who the beneficiary of the aid will be,” he said, adding this agreement must first be obtained from the affected families to avoid any issues arising later.

       He said the payments were directly transferred electronically into the accounts of named beneficiaries.

       The main criteria for those applying for the aid is that families must provide the death certificate stating clearly that “Covid-19” was the cause of death.

       On Monday, The Star reported that Covid-19 long haulers suffer an array of symptoms, with less than 70% of those referred to the rehabilitation unit at Hospital Sungai Buloh returning to work within three months of recovery.

       Measures have been put in place by the Health Ministry to support long Covid sufferers, with at least 5,856 of them benefiting from rehabilitation at the ministry’s facilities, including Sabah and Sarawak.

       Hospital Sungai Buloh rehabilitation medicine department head Dr Akmal Hafizah Zamli said its Covid-19 Rehabilitation Outpatient Specialised Services was established in November 2020 as the first rehabilitation medicine service dedicated to long Covid sufferers in the country.

       Long Covid sufferers can seek treatment at any of the 2,838 government clinics nationwide. There are also close to 30 public hospitals with rehabilitation medicine clinical services.