Over OMR35 million grant for social security in three months

Muscat: Over OMR35 million was allocated to social security payments in three months, according to the Ministry of Social Security.
A total of OMR35,323,588 was spent to cover 78,231 social security cases in 2018. The cases include orphans, widows, divorcees, unmarried women, the elderly, abandoned women and the family of a prisoner.
According to the quarterly data released by the ministry, 45 per cent of all disbursements of social security pensions were given to the elderly group. The second largest beneficiary group was the disabled, receiving 30.5 per cent.
“The two groups, the elderly and the disabled, acquired the largest share of disbursements during the second quarter of 2018, amounting to 75.6 per cent of the total disbursements to the rest of the Sultanate,” the ministry said.
Despite the decline in the number of social security cases in 2018 compared to the same time last year, funding increased by nearly OMR3 million.
In addition to social services salaries, the ministry also provided OMR20,336 towards disaster assistance from April 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018. The amount was given to a total of 33 cases in various governorates. The disaster cases include fires, floods and rains, and storms.
The total amount does not include disaster assistance for the tropical cyclone, Mekunu. According to the ministry, that is because the “Omani Charitable Organisation took the responsibility of providing all the financial assistance to the affected areas”.
With regards to the process of receiving social security pension, Articles 8 and 9 of the Social Security law No 84/87 state, “The application for pension shall be submitted to the competent authority in the applicant’s governorate.”
In addition to submitting the form, “the applicant will also have to undergo a medical examination by a government hospital”.