Tuesday, March 7, 2017 (18:48 WIB)

Grandma Nasikah Sells Crackers to Buy Medicine for Husband

Grandma Nasikah (87 years old) was seen exhaustingly walking around under the heat of the sun holding her crackers. The sun was particularly bright that day in Nunukan Regency, Northern Borneo (7/3/2017).



Although she is frail, she was forced to sell around crackers and vegetables in order to eat and buy medicine for her husband. "Well, I just have to keep going and be strong walking. If I don't sell what will we eat?" She said.

All this time, Grandma Nasikah has lived with her husband, Paimin (84 years old) in a rented house in RT 1 East of Nunukan. They do not have any children. To make a living, the old woman has to work very hard because Grandma Nasikah's husband cannot afford to after contracting acute Tuberculosis. 

Nevermind about medication, they rarely eat full meals because the crackers she sells belongs to someone else. For decades, Grandma Nasikah and her husband migrated to Malaysia, and eventually settled in Nunukan. Since settling in Nunukan, they did not ever have a national ID card. 

Chief Police of Nunukan City, AKP Muhammad Sholeh Wahidi assisted to make the ID cards for them both. At first, the regency office where they stayed refused to make the ID cards because the two did not have an official letter of their domicile transfer.

"But thanks to the help of the Regency Head of Northern Nunukan the old couple finally have their ID cards. They live in Eastern Nunukan, but their ID cards are Northern Nunukan," Sholeh Wahidi stated. He hoped that with the ID cards, they can finally be admitted to medication help.

Their BPJS card (Social Security Administrator card) was made in early January. However, Paimin will  have to be patient because the BPJS card pursued by the Nunukan City Police through the Police Social Responsibility (PSR) program can only be used for treatment in March. "Today, the new BPJS card can be activated. The rule says that they were supposed to wait until 2 months after registration."

Aside from working on the medication through BPJS, the PSR program also helps with Nasikah's family's economy.

Until March, there are now more than 20 people of Nunukan that are helped with acquiring their BPJS cards. On average, they are from poor families whom lack ID cards of their residency.

References:

http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2017/03/07/berjalan-tertatih-tatih-nenek-nasikah-keliling-jualan-kerupuk-demi-obati-suaminya-yang-kena-tbc

https://www.bpjs-kesehatan.go.id/bpjs/

https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPJS_Kesehatan