Sabah PKR: Compulsory health insurance 'burden'

Effective Jan 1, the compulsory health insurance for maids and plantation workers, costing RM120 annually, means additional financial burden to employers, said Sabah Parti PKR deputy chairperson Christina Liew.

   

"It is like penalising the employers whenever the government imposes new policy with regard to foreign maids and plantation sectors.

   

"RM120 is way too costly if it's a government-controlled group health plan policy for foreign workers...surely, the premium should not be so high as RM120 per worker," she was reported as saying by Bernama today.

In this respect, she urged the government to reveal the name of the insurance company, if any, appointed to handle the bulk billing of the medical treatment of foreign maids and workers.

   

"We are talking about hundreds of thousands of employees, especially in the plantation sector in Sabah and Sarawak.

   

"Furthermore, with the insurance policy, can employees get treatment from private doctors, as well,?" she asked.

   

Liew said transparency on the mechanism of payment by the insurance company to hospital or private doctors was important for the benefit of all.

In Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, Deputy Human Resource Minister Maznah Mazlan ( left ) said foreign workers health insurance which is mandatory from Jan 1 next year must be obtained from a panel of 32 registered insurers.

   

She said action would be taken against employers who failed to do so and that the work permits of their foreign workers would also not be renewed.

   

In relation to this, the ministry would hold dialogue sessions with the stakeholders to explain the new ruling, she told reporters after launching the  Hitachi Charity Flea Bazaar at Saloma Theatre Restauran today.

   

Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai ( right ) recently announced that health insurance for foreign workers would be made compulsory from Jan 1 as it was costing the government RM18 million a year to treat foreign workers at government hospitals and that the cost was ever increasing.

   

The annual premium has been set at RM120 per foreign worker.