Long-delayed payments finally available for collection
Elderly Sulaymaniyah woman dies queuing for pension at Kalar bank
KALAR — A woman died this morning in front of Kalar Bank while waiting to receive her pension, officials said. Rizgar Latif, director of Shahid Hazhar Hospital, told 964media that the woman, who suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure, is suspected to have had a stroke leading to her death.
The woman, identified as Amina Hassan, 77, was a resident of the Rizgari sub-district in Sulaymaniyah.
Aria Anwar, manager of Kalar Bank, reported that Hassan arrived at the bank around 7:40 a.m., before the start of official business hours, and experienced health complications. Police stationed at the bank contacted her family, and before their arrival, an officer hailed a taxi to take her to the hospital. She died en route.
On March 27, Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, announced the start of salary distribution for February. This came 55 days after January 2024’s salary list was released, during which time civil servant wages in the Kurdistan Region remained unpaid.
This incident marks not the first time pensioners have died waiting for their pensions. On March 3, 2022, two elderly pensioners died in front of Tanjero Bank in Sulaymaniyah during a long wait to receive their pensions.
Sulaymaniyah has faced ongoing issues with pension payments, leading to lengthy waits for individuals trying to receive their money. Additionally, concerns over banks running out of cash have prompted some pensioners to spend the night outside banks to ensure they are early in the queue for the next day’s distribution.
In the first half of 2022, six pensioners died while waiting in salary queues.