KUALA LUMPUR: The MySalam health protection scheme has paid out RM40,200 since it was introduced earlier this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah said the ministry had received 1,094 claims under the scheme as of last Thursday.
He said processing claims usually takes up to two weeks.
“To date, we have paid out RM40,200 for 97 claims.
“Of these, 95 were for hospital admissions and the remaining two for cases of critical illness,” he said during the ministerial question time.
He was replying to Rohani Abdul Karim (GPS-Batang Lupar), who had asked for the total number of B40 participants in the scheme.
MySalam is a national health protection scheme to assist the low-income or B40 group when they are hospitalised or afflicted with critical diseases.
Private insurance firm Great Eastern Life reportedly gave RM2 billion for the fund. This is expected to allow medical protection for the target group for at least five years.
Qualified recipients will get health protection for free for 36 critical illnesses including cancer, heart attack and Alzheimer’s disease. Recipients will also get a one-off payment of RM8,000 if they are identified as suffering from one of the listed critical illnesses.
The scheme also gives out a daily payment of RM50 as replacement income, if the recipient has to undergo treatment at any government hospital for a maximum 14 days a year, equivalent to RM700 a year.
Some 3.7 million Malaysians, between the age of 18 and 55, stand to benefit from this scheme.
To Mustapa Mohamed (PH-Jeli) who asked if the scheme would be made permanent, Amiruddin said the current plan was for five years.
“If the scheme is proven to ease the burden of the B40 group, the government will study the possibility of extending it,” he added.