KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities will put a stop to false Social Security Organisation (Socso) disability claims, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
Socso's claims system will be reviewed and revamped to prevent such abuses from recurring, he told a press conference here on Wednesday (Sept 4).
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There will be no compromises in the investigation of the fake claims, he added.
While the abuses were only found to have occurred in Penang as of Tuesday (Sept 3), Sim said the operation, dubbed Ops Tunjang, would be conducted nationwide.
Sosco chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said that in the meantime, claims received would still be processed as genuine cases so as not to affect those truly in need.
Earlier on Wednesday, remand orders were issued against three doctors in Penang and 30 other suspects arrested for allegedly making false claims.
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They were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Tuesday.
Also on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said it would give its full cooperation to the MACC investigation.
The arrests came after Penang Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran called on the government, particularly the Human Resources Ministry, to explain the alleged suspension of senior doctors handling Socso disability claims purportedly linked to a cartel in the state.
He claimed that there had been 683 fraudulent withdrawals from 2018 to 2022 involving approximately RM43mil, 16 of which involved a doctor whose services had been terminated after the activities were uncovered.
