These employees somehow feel they are entitled to all the 22 days of medical leave a year prescribed in the Employment Act, he said.
“That’s almost two days a month. This is on the high side.”
He said if employees were truly ill, then they could claim hospitalisation leave, which allows 60 days’ of leave.
“This sort of leave is not a problem. Most employers have no issue in allowing their employees to take this leave since they know it is not being abused.”
Shamsuddin blamed employees’ attitude to work for resorting to fake MCs.
“Those who buy fake MCs as well as those who sell them lack integrity.
“If there is more integrity in the workplace, then they wouldn’t resort to taking MCs unless they are truly sick.”
Shamsuddin said those selling fake MCs were getting “high-tech”.
“They are using online systems to attract more customers. This has contributed to an increase in the number of people using these fake MCs.”
Earlier today, Astro Awani quoted Health Ministry Director-General Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah as saying there was a widespread problem of online sale of fake MCs.
Shamsuddin said fake MCs had a negative impact on national productivity.
Employers lost out because they still had to pay for the employees’ wages for that day.
On top of that, the employees involved often claimed expenses for the so-called medical treatment and consultation.
“When they take the fake MCs, sometimes they also request for a bill to claim ‘expenses’.”
In 2014, Shamsuddin was reported as saying that employers lost RM8 billion a year due to employees taking fake MCs — a number he says has since increased.
He said although the buying, selling and handing in of fake MCs was against the law, many employers were reluctant to report such cases to the police as they did not want to get involved in lengthy investigations.
“If everyone is more serious about taking action, then I’m sure we will see a decrease in such cases.”
Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) President Dr John Chew stressed that anyone caught selling a fake MC should be reported to police or the health ministry.
“The MC is a legal document. Therefore, any doctor issuing it must take a proper history and do a physical examination.
“Selling a fake MC is a crime and should be reported.”