Socso chief executive Mohammad Azman Aziz Mohammed, responding to a report by public policy research organisation, Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy (Galen Centre) on the hardships faced by cancer patients to cover their medical costs through the compulsory workplace insurance scheme, said some RM1.95 billion was paid out under the Invalidity Pension Scheme in 2016, more than the total premium of RM1.45 billion.
“As the expenditure on benefits are expected to continue to increase, the negative balance is supplemented through our investment income, to the detriment of the fund but avoiding further increase of the premium rate to the insured persons,” Azman told FMT in a statement explaining various schemes available to help patients with chronic diseases including cancer.
The funds under the Invalidity Pension Scheme include the Invalidity Pension, Invalidity Grant, Rehabilitation Benefit, Survivors’ Pension, Constant Attendance Allowance, Funeral Benefit and Education Benefit.
Last Friday, Galen Centre, in a report titled “Saving Lives and Surviving Cancer in Malaysia: Recommendations for Policymakers”, called for the reform of Socso legislation.
“Reform of relevant legislation such as the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 is needed to ensure that cancer survivors are able to claim their benefits, regardless of cancer stage, while they continue to work,” Galen Centre said.
Socso said while it was committed to help affected workers, it comes with a price, as the premium imposed was only 1% of a person’s salary, equally shared between the employers and the employees.
Azman, meanwhile, gave the example of Socso providing dialysis facility to more than 14,000 insured persons, which cost the body RM200 million annually.
But he said there was a need to ensure that Socso is sustainable so that it could effectively play its role to pool resources and share risks.
This he said, could be done through enhancing the commitment to the contribution and maintenance of the solidarity fund, apart from widening the benefits.
“Such approach will live up to the principle of the social security providence,” he added.