‘Let Socso handle medical exam of foreign workers’

PETALING JAYA: Employers are asking for the medical examination of foreign workers to be handled by the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang said it would make handling foreign workers’ welfare matters easier.

“There is no point for the government to outsource an agent (to do that) since it can be done by Socso and the process is more transparent.

“It will also reduce costs if it is managed by just one agency,” he said in a joint press conference with Human Resources Minister M. Kulasegaran here yesterday.

Kulasegaran had earlier announced that starting Jan 1, social security protection of foreign workers would be placed under Socso.

Presently, the medical examination is handled by the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema), which charges RM180 per person.

Kang said handing the process to Socso would allow it to function as a one-stop centre for foreign workers’ welfare matters.

Kulasegaran said the suggestion could be considered although the matter was under the Health Ministry’s jurisdiction.

He also said that after Socso takes over foreign workers’ social security protection, there would be no need for Workmen’s Compensation for them.

“There will no longer be discrimination between local and foreign workers, as stipulated under the Equality of Treatment (Accident Compensation) Convention 1925 and the Conference Committee on the Application of Standards under the International Labour Organisation, which Malaysia has ratified,” he said.