KUALA LUMPUR: More than 2,000 senior citizens were abandoned at hospitals nationwide from 2018 to 2022.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun, in disclosing the figures, said of the 2,144 neglected senior citizens, 914, comprising 656 men and 258 women, were successfully returned to their family members.
Rina said in 2021 alone, 752 senior citizens were abandoned at hospitals by their family members.
They comprised 231 men and 109 women and had been placed at welfare institutions, she added.
"Medical social workers at hospitals would continue to track down their next of kin. If unsuccessful, they will help arrange for placements (for the senior citizens) in either government or private welfare institutions.
"A total of 1,230 senior citizens -- 650 men and 380 women -- who are single and whose next of kin could not be traced, have been placed at welfare institutions.
"According to the Health Ministry, most cases involved senior citizens who do have spouses, children or siblings," she said in yesterday's parliamentary written reply.
Rina was responding to a question by Tan Kok Wai (Pakatan Harapan-Cheras), who asked the ministry to state the total amount of senior citizens abandoned at public and private hospitals in the last five years according to their gender, reasons for abandonment and their new placements.
She said social workers would normally trace the senior citizens' next of kin by checking their identification cards, contacting the families, doing house visits or tracing them through the National Registration Department's system.
However, Rina, who is Titiwangsa member of parliament, said in most cases, the next of kin traced would refuse to bring the senior citizens home.
"Among the reasons given were family problems and lack of guardians. Some even deny any knowledge of the senior citizens referred to them.
"The hospitals face difficulties when the senior citizens are unable to provide accurate information on their identity card number, phone number of next of kin, the identity of their friends or home address.
"In some cases, they (abandoned senior citizens) are homeless and 'kutu rayau' (vagrants), who were sent to the hospital by members of the public.
"Those who were involved in drug and alcohol abuse are also referred to hospitals."
To address the issue, Rina said the government had drafted the Senior Citizens Bill, which she said would help protect the rights of senior citizens.
The draft of the bill is still being examined by the relevant stakeholders.