Civil service and military pensioners are suffering because of rising debt, poverty and other forms of humiliation, said the Saudi Pensioners Association (SPA) in a report submitted to the Shoura Council. The SPA report coincides with the annual report of the General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), currently being studied by a committee of the Shoura Council. The SPA reported that many pensioners cannot survive on their relatively small pensions. The majority get monthly pensions of less than SR4,000. Many have had to face the humiliation of being refused bank loans to help them with their daily needs. The report stated that many retirees are now suffering from depression and other mental and physical problems. The SPA warned that many pensioners are vulnerable to drug abuse and being influenced by terrorists. The organization claimed that most pensioners are still being paid under laws passed many years ago. These people get 50 percent less than those assessed under more recent legislative amendments. The SPA said that things are not getting easier because of the rising cost of living. It added that it has received limited cooperation and support from the ministries of Finance and Labor. It blamed government bureaucracy for affecting its ability to speedily help needy pensioners.
