Bahraini senior citizens to be pampered with discount cards

Bahrain is planning to give its senior citizens 50 percent discounts on a range of services, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The discount cards will cover construction fees, ownership certificates, municipality fees on rented houses and flats, driving license and passport renewal, the issuance of national identity cards, fees to employ a domestic helper or to hire a worker and fees on hospital rooms at the capital’s Salmaniya Medical Complex, Gulf News reported.

The cabinet endorsed the plan after its weekly session to support the country’s senior citizens.

“The decision is part of the keen interest of the government in supporting senior citizens and boosting their right to live in dignity,” a spokesman said after the session.

According to Bahrain’s Ministry of Social Development, senior citizens account for 3.8 percent of the population, this figure is expected to rise to 14.2 percent by 2025 and to 24.3 percent by 2050.