When terminal illnesses strike, they plough in indiscriminately, leaving a family bereft of not just a loved one, but also all their savings. Leading the way in trying to minimise the pecuniary effects on Malaysian Bar members is the Bar Council, writes Shaila Koshy
A YOUNG legal assistant sets up her own practice. Her husband is a doctor in the civil service. After all the necessary deductions, they and their two children live on only RM1,200 a month. She develops breast cancer and the cost of surgery wipes out their savings. She is too ill to work and her husband’s income is insufficient for living expenses and their loan instalments, let alone pay for her chemotherapy.