A number of beneficiaries of the social insurance system in Jeddah have demanded that the authorities raise the monthly pension paid to them.

They told Arab News that the number of such beneficiaries was small and the amount they received did not suffice to provide the minimum requirements of their life.

Some of them were forced to look for work to meet the basic needs of their families. They demanded special attention to widows, divorcees and the old who do not have anyone else to fall back on.

They pointed out that house rent eats up the lion’s share of their monthly pension.

According to official reports, 40 percent of the beneficiaries of social insurance live in rented houses.

Ali Ahmed, a social insurance beneficiary, said the pension of SR1,700 that he receives is not enough for his family of eight children, adding that the amount disappears quickly after providing for the bare necessities of life, “what with the prices increasing by the day.”

“Rising prices is a heavy burden on most of the families with a limited income and we are frustrated as we see our small pension amount disappearing soon after receiving it,” he said.

“The needs of our children increase day by day, but the pension amount remains the same,” he added.

Ahmed pointed out that his pension was barely enough for two or three days, and that was why he was working at his old age as a vegetable hawker at Jeddah Central Market where he earned about SR100 every day. He hoped that the authorities would give a raise in their monthly pension so that it is enough to meet the higher expenses needed these days.

Umm Ali, a widow, says the day she receives her monthly pension she receives a number of calls from grocers about pending bills and other creditors who demand payment due to them. A good part of the amount goes to toward paying the apartment rent.

She said 70 percent of the SR7,000 she received monthly was barely enough to repay her debts while she does not respond to telephone calls from other creditors hoping that she will be able to pay them when she gets her pension next month.

She said her family comprised five members and she was always worried about how she could find enough money to fulfill their daily needs. “Whenever somebody knocks at my door I get terrified believing some creditor is at my door asking for his money back,” she said.

Mariyam Khaled and Umm Abdullah agreed with Umm Ali on the insufficiency of their pension amount. “After we pay up our rent, and bills of electricity, water and telephone hardly anything remains,” one of them said.

Umm Yahya said she never goes out as otherwise she would need to eat at a restaurant and want to buy many things seen at supermarkets. She also demanded an immediate raise to their pension amount so that they can lead a decent life.