100 blind masseurs get free Covid-19 screening
KUALA LUMPUR: Blind masseurs who are now required to be screened for Covid-19 before resuming operations are thankful for the free Covid-19 tests by BH Healthcare Group and Doctors2u.
Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) chief executive officer George Thomas said 100 masseurs benefited from the screening conducted at MAB here yesterday.
“During the Movement Control Order, many visually-impaired and blind masseurs suffered a loss of income.
“There were several blind massage centre owners who had to close down their businesses due to financial constraints in try- ing to sustain the operational costs, such as rental and utility bills.
“The communities are very thankful and happy to receive such support which will help them generate income and support their families,” he said.
One of them is Abdul Samad Aziz, 49, who runs Super Blind Traditional Massage Centre with business partner Ang Ah Keong, 57.
“We had no income at all and had to pay the rent, but the building owner was kind enough to offer a reduction and we only had to pay RM1,000 during the business closure instead of the full amount of RM3,200.
“If this situation had prolonged, we would have resorted to shutting down the business.
“We now have to use our savings to buy the essentials and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) required, including face masks, gloves and sanitisers.”
He said he had no problem complying with the standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the authorities.”
Baskaran Kuppan, 52, who runs Puchong Reflexology Therapy with two staff, said there was no problem complying with the SOP as he got help from family members.
“People are still scared to visit our centres. I hope business will recover soon, but I’m glad we are allowed to reopen.” Fong Chin Seng, 37, who manages CS Blind Massage said he suffered close to RM10,000 in losses due to the business closure and was thankful for the free test.
Freelance therapist and extrainer Yong Yoke Ping, 42, said she was thankful to the government for the monthly RM400 disability allowance distributed by the Social Welfare Department.
Mohd Zamha Wahab, 36, a footballer and massage therapist, who manages a business with six other players, said since they only received government allowance while undergoing training, the MCO period posed a huge challenge financially.