Saudi Gazette National Retirees Association of Jeddah has accused medical insurance companies of declining applications from retired citizens due to high healthcare costs of the elderly population. The association claims that it has been trying to find an insurance company to handle retirees, but still has not been able to find a cooperative insurance company as most companies demand unreasonably high monthly fees. “We are facing great difficulty in finalizing partnerships with medical insurance companies because these companies believe that the retired members of the community have higher health care expenditures than other age groups. After years of sacrifice, hard work, and serving their communities and their country, retirees deserve a certain degree of financial security and healthcare coverage,” said Sami Wali, President of the National Retirees Association in Jeddah. The association calls for an increase in the government retiree pension which should be fixed amount of SR 4,000 per month. It also urges the private and government sectors to recruit retirees who are still interested in working as they can benefit the society from their years of relative experience and valuable knowledge acquired over a few decades. The association extends gratitude and appreciation to the General Administration of Passport Services for reserving a window for retirees in order to expedite and facilitate their passport transactions. It also wishes to see other government institutions pay similar attention and make proper arrangements for retired citizens. Retirees should also be given special discounts on airline and railway tickets, public transportation, and other services. In the annual report of the Public Pension Agency for the year 2010, there are 523,000 registered retirees in the Kingdom and 94 percent are males. Wali has said that the association plans to open a new women's branch in Muhammadiya District along with a fitness center by next month. They also intend to open a large women's beauty center that will include lecture halls to offer educational courses on beauty, health, and other social concerns for women. In addition, it hopes to build an outpatient clinic for children and women of all ages equipped with cafés and shops. __
