A number of senior citizens expressed frustration over their lives after retirement. They called on relevant bodies to help establish recreational clubs for them and include them in the medical insurance.
Some of these seniors told Arab News that they want to spend some of their free time in centers or clubs in their neighborhoods, engaging in activities that they cannot do given the lack of proper infrastructure for people of their age. According to this group, there is a great need for rest houses to accommodate them after retirement.
When it comes to medical insurance, they claim that private hospitals take a big portion of money of the already low retirement wages they are receiving.
Saeed Abdul Rahman retired a month ago after working as a teacher for the past 35 years. “Before I reached retirement age, I heard that there were clubs in the neighborhoods for retired people to spend their time in a productive way and meet their physiological needs,” he said. However, Abdul Rahman was disappointed to see that, in reality, these clubs do not exist.
Teacher Misfir Ibrahim, who is only a few days away from retirement, worries how he will spend his time in the near future. After working in education for 30 years, he says his day was split between education and family, and expects to feel a huge void. He bemoaned the fact that he doesn’t have a place to spend his time and meet friends with whom to practice hobbies together.
On the financial level, he feels that there is also a crucial need to include the retired in the medical insurance. “Most retired people are over 60 and are in need of medical care to fight disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes,” he said.
Naser Al-Sayed, another teacher for whom retirement is looming on the horizon, says there is a need for these centers to break the routine and kill time among those who spent their lives serving the country and its citizens.
Government employee Ibrahim Al-Harbi believes that authorities need to repay those who worked hard all their lives to convey the noble messages and instill social values for the new generations.
“In many cases, the retired feel lonely and abandoned after being attached to their professional colleagues for a large part of their lives,” Al-Harbi said. According to him, other family members are be busy with their lives and work and have no time to focus on retired people.
Senior citizens demand better retirement life
Senior citizens demand better retirement life
Saudi deputy foreign minister calls for Sudanese unity during meeting in Cairo
- Waleed Al-Khuraiji says a political solution to the civil war in Sudan must be based on respect for its sovereignty
- He rejects quasi-government formed by one of the warring factions in July, denounces external intervention in form of weapons supplies and foreign fighters
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s deputy foreign minister, Waleed Al-Khuraiji, on Wednesday stressed the important need to maintain the territorial integrity of Sudan.
Speaking at the fifth Sudan peace coordination meeting in Cairo, he said a political solution to the civil war that began in April 2023 must be based on respect for Sudanese sovereignty and unity.
He highlighted the efforts the Kingdom is making in an attempt to ensure stability in Sudan, help reach a ceasefire agreement that ends the conflict, prevent the collapse of state institutions, and maintain the unity, territorial integrity and capabilities of the country, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Al-Khuraiji also said that Saudi efforts to address the worsening humanitarian crisis caused by the war are continuing, in an attempt to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people.
It is important that the conflicting factions return to political dialogue, he added, as stated in the Jeddah Declaration of May 2023 and the short-term ceasefire deal that was agreed that same month.
The war in Sudan, between rival military factions the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, poses a threat to regional stability, Al-Khuraiji warned.
He rejected the quasi-government formed by the Rapid Support Forces in July last year as an obstruction to ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis, a threat to the unity and sovereignty of Sudan, and a risk to regional security and the safety of the Red Sea.
“The announcement of parallel entities outside the framework of legitimate institutions is worrying and disrupts efforts through the political track to solve the crisis,” he said.
The prevention of external intervention in the conflict, including illegal support in the form of weapon supplies and foreign fighters, is crucial for efforts to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian operations, Al-Khuraiji added.
He also called for the establishment of safe corridors so that deliveries of aid can reach those in need, similar to a mechanism established in August last year at the Adre crossing on Sudan’s border with Chad.
