Sabah:The Tabung Kasih @ HAWANA fund offers crucial support to media practitioners facing health challenges, covering treatment costs and boosting their morale.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, TV3 cameraman Mohammed Fairuz Mohammed Yazzer, 35, expressed gratitude for the financial aid, which will assist with his medical and insurance needs. He developed a slipped disc while working during the Sabah state election and the Kinabatangan by-election. After receiving the aid from Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching at the Bernama Sabah Bureau Office, he thanked the fund for its continued support for media colleagues in need.

Mohammed Fairuz's condition was confirmed as a slipped disc during an MRI conducted amid treatment for dengue earlier this year. Despite recommendations for physiotherapy, he remains in pain and awaits further specialist assessment.

Floris Philip, a 54-year-old RTM programme producer with a heart condition, also benefited from the fund. She highlighted how the aid not only covered treatment costs but also restored her sense of being valued and cared for. Floris has been with RTM for 33 years.

Kamarudin Abdullah, another RTM programme producer and recipient, noted that the assistance would alleviate medical expenses following a road accident. He urged media practitioners facing similar hardships to seek help from the Tabung Kasih @ HAWANA secretariat, emphasizing that there is no shame in applying for aid to continue working.

The Tabung Kasih @ HAWANA initiative, established by the Ministry of Communications as part of National Journalists' Day (HAWANA) in 2023, is coordinated by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama). It has distributed RM2.54 million to 864 media practitioners and veteran journalists, including 37 from Sabah.