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Published: Wednesday March 10, 2010 MYT 7:47:00 PM

Medical perks for civil servants’ parents

By FLORENCE A. SAMY


PETALING JAYA: Parents of serving civil servants will, for the first time, be entitled to free ward admissions at government hospitals.

Ward charges will also be waived for government retirees, civil servants and qualified immediate family members.

Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Tan Sri Ismail Adam said the directive would take effect from April 1 and that some 450,000 government retirees would benefit from the new perk.

“The Government has decided to abolish ward charges imposed on officers and retirees of the civil service, their family members and parents when seeking treatment at government hospitals,” he said in his latest circular.

However, the abolition of the ward charges, he said, did not affect the current ward qualification, which was based on the grade-level or last grade held.

Ismail said those who wanted to be admitted to a higher-class ward than their entitlement would have to pay the public rate and deposit for that particular ward.

Current rules state that officers and those who had retired from public service, their parents and family members, were required to pay ward fees according to the fixed rate.

Last October, the PSD announced that certain free medical treatment would also be extended to parents of civil servants. Previously, only retirees, civil servants and qualified immediate family, including spouses, were entitled to such benefits.

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