Growing concern

Growing concern: Need for proper valid health Insurance for visitors

Rise in number of medical emergencies of visitor parents in Australia.

Since, the migrant community in Australia is growing rapidly, its attracting more visitors each day from other countries that includes family, friends of the migrants. Daljeet Bakshi

It‘s great to see parents visiting their kids who are here in Australia, who are settled as citizens with families, those who are permanent residents and students as well. There is significant number of visitors coming from India. Visitors are required to get health insurance cover for any inevitable event. Some get insurance for the period of their travel from India and some get from Australian insurance providers. Some leave it as they are visiting for a shorter period. But, this is where there is a concern which can turn a happy going visit to a worst effected burdened one with health, financial and emotional consequences.

During last few months, there are many cases reported in Australia, where parents visiting their kids have got medical emergencies that included heart surgery and brain stroke surgery. And the worst scenario was absence of either proper health insurance or insurance from unreliable company or no insurance cover at all. Due to all these issues the whole family of the effected got major setback with their present situation and future planning.

In few cases, families effected had to raise FB fundraiser to support the huge bills of hospitalization and few had to organise for funeral or sending the body to India. It’s really worsening with the passage of time and the emergencies mostly medical one are reported from almost every state of Australia.

This is a crucial and most important issue now that needs to be addressed by everyone , right from the visitors who are planning to visit their families in Australia , families inviting their parents here and authorities for a proper check for valid health insurance before finalising the visa . We all need to understand that it’s better to be prepared rather than to leave as it can have complicated consequences not only for the one who has suffered but also the whole family which gets affected.

Yes, for some it may look huge amount for having proper insurance , but it’s better to have it that can give u and your family a sigh of relief in case of any emergency. At the same time, be careful not to hide any present condition of health; don’t put yourself in such a situation where saving small amount of money results in spending a lot more.

Good Samaritans and members of the community in particular, authorities and consulate has been assisting in these emergencies. But, still lot of information needs to reach out with a loud and clear message to check out for valid insurance before u plan a travel.

GURUJI MANDIR SYDNEY

HOLI SATSANG

SUNDAY 8 th MARCH

Come play Holi with Sangat and Guruji at his Mandir.

Sunday 8 th March’20, 11:30am start

Aſter Holi celebration there will be a live Chole Bhature stall.

Guruji Mandir Sydney Building 5, 27 Rose Crescent, Regents Park, NSW

No RSVP required as Guruji’s Mandir is open for all.

CELEBRATE TOGETHER: Multicultural Grants Program, South Australia

Applications are open now till 5 pm, 31st March 2020.

With a prime vision of ensuring that South Australia’s multicultural communities are well connected & supported, the Department of Premier and Cabinet SA, through the office of Multicultural Affairs is ensuring delivery of the support through quality services & various programs. Daljeet Bakshi

Considering the aspirations, meets & needs of the rapidly growing multicultural communities, the office of Multicultural Affairs, which is now a unit of the Department of Premier and cabinet, reviewed various comparatives and designed integrated equitable funding programs to support the multicultural communities for their advancement, expansion, celebrations & supporting all together. Thus, four Multicultural Grants programs ADVANCE TOGETHER, CELEBRATE TOGETHER, EXPAND TOGETHER, STRONGER TOGETHER,

were designed, which are in operation. In each Grants program, together is the key word which is taken in due to inclusivity & fostering a stronger bond of partnerships between the Government and the communities.

These Grants enables Multicultural communities within South Australia to share, connect with wider communities, with a stronger sense of belonging and building confidence that helps in becoming active part of a better State and country.

Under able leadership of The Premier of South Australia Hon Steven Marshall MP and Hon Jing Lee MLC, Assistant Minister to the Premier, Multicultural Affairs department is ensuring comprehensive community engagement by delivering persistent support and various programs for the multicultural communities in South Australia.

Celebrate Together Grants, is one of the Grants which is available for multicultural organisations to host festivals and events to celebrate cultural diversity. Multicultural organisations can apply through two grant streams:

• Large Grants from $5001 to $30 000 are available to eligible multicultural organisations for festivals and events to be delivered within 12 months, commencing in July 2020. There are matched funding requirements for applicants requesting Large Grants. Large Grants applications that are not successful may also be considered for Small Grants.

• Small Grants are valued up to $5000. The first round will be for events held between 1 July 2020 and 31 December 2020 and the second round will be for events held between 1 January 2021 and 30 June 2021.

Applications for Large Grants and Small Grants (Round 1) are now open and close on 31 March 2020 at 5pm. For further information, please see the attached grant guidelines or visit the website: www.multicultural.sa.gov.au

This initiative by The Government and Multicultural affairs department is really helpful for working together with a commitment for making a stronger South Australia, and is widely applauded by the multicultural communities.

At the same time, Multicultural Community Groups who get the opportunity to access the Grants also need to make sure that it gives opportunities to showcase and celebrate culture together for a stronger Community and ensure that those who are performing and participate in the events with their best effort and time are rewarded and recognised as they are key instrumental in delivering a successful event.

Another important aspect to the utilization of Multicultural grants is making the assessments of the grants utilized, before finalising for the next one.