By Disability Service & Support Unit
KUALA LUMPUR, 26 July 2022: The launching of Zurich Takaful’s Sinar Senyuman Al-Shams on 7 July 2021 by Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi presents a ray of hope for Persons with disabilities (PwDs) to obtain Takaful coverage for themselves and their family members more easily.
This is due to the condition of PwDs who generally face difficulties in terms of access to the insurance policy which they are usually required to undergo a medical examination in their applications, and more often than not, they will be considered as high risk and their applications will be rejected.
Following the launch, the Disability Services & Support Unit (DSU), Office of Deputy Rector (Student Development & Community Engagement) has organised a program, ‘Eidul Adha Gathering with Sinar Senyuman Al-Shams’ on Wednesday (20 July).
The gathering was organised in collaboration with Teras Legacy Sdn Bhd and is part of the IIUM OKU4U Sejahtera and Islamic Outreach Flagship Program under DSU which embarks on community engagement with the PwD community and their families including the Orang Asli community, and parents who have children with disabilities within and outside the university.
According to the Head of the Disability Service Unit, Professor Dr. Ruzita Mohd Amin, she met many PwDs who managed to become successful Takaful agents.
She added that “with a new Takaful plan such as Al-Shams that does not require any medical examination and guaranteed acceptance, it makes marketing the product and processing applications much more easier, and this opens up the doors wider for PwDs to have a bright career opportunity in this Takaful industry.”
The briefing by Teras Legacy, led by En Mohd Zaidi Mohd Adnan, was on details of the Takaful plans available for PwDs as well as on career opportunities for PwDs and benefits as an agent in the industry.
There was a good discussion and engagement session between the agency and the PwD community during the program, and it is hoped that many more Takaful products will be developed and offered by Takaful companies that cater to the needs of the PwD community especially for medical and hospitalization coverage, as well as providing career opportunities for them
The event was attended by about 50 participants from among the IIUM’s students with disabilities, staff, and students with disabilities from other universities such as Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).
Also present were disability advocates from NGOs such as President of the National Autism Society of Malaysia (NASOM), Dato’ Megat Ahmad Shahrani bin Megat Shahrudin, Rare Disease Alliance Foundation Malaysia (RDAFM), Dato’ Hatijah Ayob and President of Majlis Belia OKU (MBOKU), En. Mohd Faiz Suhaimi.
The program was also attended online and was assisted by a Malaysian sign language interpreter from the Malaysian Federation of the Deaf. ***