KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Zulkarnain Hamzah, 46, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2006 due to emotional stress after witnessing a colleague plunged to his death while working on a telecommunications tower.
Things took a turn for the worse after the passing of his mother in 2021 due to old age and his older brother last year because of cancer. These losses exacerbated his emotional stress which caused him to lose the ability to work and take care of himself.
Zulkarnain’s plight was shared by his sister Azlina Hamzah, 48, when met at the handover of the Rumah Kasih Harapan Kak Wan in Bandar Tun Razak here today.
“My brother is very happy 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 hoped it would help Zulkarnain to fully recover.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the Bandar Tun Razak MP 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,” she said, adding that the renovation cost of one housing unit is around RM30,000.
“For subsequent projects, renovations will be done through sponsorships from private entities, manufacturers, housing developers and others,” she said.
According to Wan Azizah, the first house that received the benefit was a unit at Apartment Seri Penara in 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 the screening process may take time and there may be constraints from contractors. However, we will continue to do our best to help,” she added.
