KUALA LUMPUR: The Women, Family, and Community Development ministry has aided 21-year-old Muhammad Hafizuddin Ismail who is afflicted with a nerve disease.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, said the ministry, through the Welfare Department, will also work with government agencies to channel the appropriate aid to the youth's family to help them shoulder the weight of dealing with his affliction.
She said this in reference to an article by the New Straits Times on July 1 about the youth who has been suffering for the past five years.
"The ministry would like to express its gratitude to the media that conveyed the information on community issues that need immediate attention to relevant ministries and the government. The ministry, through the Welfare Department, had assisted the youth and his family on June 20.
"Hafizuddin is considered a person with a disability categorised as unable to work and has been receiving aid under this category since November 2020," she said in a statement.
The public can directly contact Talian Kasih on 15999 and WhatsApp number 019-2615999 or the Welfare Department district office to report and provide information on children, the elderly, and communities that need help.
Despite being 21 years old, Hafizuddin's physical size and body weight resemble that of a child. He is extremely emaciated, weighing only 10kg.
His 63-year-old father, Ismail Wahad, said when Hafizuddin turned 16, he began experiencing high fever and a loss of balance.
About a year later, the youth's mother died of breast cancer and his condition deteriorated further as it was she who had been devotedly looking after him.
His bones became fragile, and he suffered multiple fractures in his hands and a quadruple fracture in his left leg.