Great move: Loke (right) and Sim (second from right) attending the launch of the dialysis centre at the PERKESO office in Seberang Jaya. Joining them are (from left) PERKESO Group CEO Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed and Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Jana Santhiran Muniayan. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Taxi, rental car and school bus drivers across the country will continue to receive full social security contribution support, with the Transport Ministry set to expand its sponsorship under the Lindung Kendiri scheme this year.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said more than 22,000 taxi, rental car and school bus drivers nationwide benefited from the government’s social protection scheme, with allocations amounting to about RM524,000.
He said Skim Keselamatan Sosial Pekerjaan Sendiri (SKSPS), now known as Lindung Kendiri, provides crucial safety nets for drivers, ensuring medical treatment, compensation and pensions for their dependents.
“Until December last year, some 22,000 taxi, rental car and school bus drivers had benefited from the protection.
“This was made possible by the government, through the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), covering 90%, or RM209.50, of the contribution, while the ministry paid the remaining 10%, or RM23.30, bringing the total contribution to RM232.80,” he said at the PERKESO office in Seberang Jaya yesterday.
With Budget 2025 setting the government’s coverage at 70%, Loke said his ministry would step in to bear the remaining 30% contribution, or RM69.90, for eligible drivers.
“We are targeting 50,000 active drivers, comprising about 35,000 taxi or rental car drivers and 15,000 school bus drivers.
“For this year, RM3.5mil has been set aside compared to only RM1.165mil in 2024,” he said, adding that the allocation comes from the sale of special number plates.
Loke said the scheme is vital, as it covers drivers in the event of accidents while on duty or commuting.
“If an accident results in death, their dependents, whether a spouse or parents, will receive a lifelong monthly pension of RM1,395.
“There is also a funeral benefit to ease the family’s burden,” he said.
Earlier, Loke, who was accompanied by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim, officiated PERKESO’s dialysis centre within the building itself.
Being the first dialysis centre in the northern region, it is the sixth nationwide, after existing facilities in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor.
Sim said the initiative was timely, given the rising cost of dialysis treatments at private centres.
“The dialysis centre complements PERKESO’s service ecosystem, making it easier for contributors to access treatment, in addition to the more than 800 panel dialysis centres run by private providers and NGOs.
“In 2020, about 13,000 contributors received dialysis sponsorship, costing PERKESO RM263mil.
“By 2024, the number had increased to 18,000 contributors, with the cost rising to RM400mil.
“By running our own centres, we can cut back on costs while also providing better access to treatment,” he said.
Sim said that the rising cost of treatment at private dialysis centres has left many contributors struggling to cover their sessions.
“Contributors who seek treatment at private dialysis centres currently receive a RM150 subsidy per session or up to RM2,100 a month for 14 treatments.
“However, private rates have gone up from RM180 to more than RM200 per session, which means patients still need to pay the difference.
“At our dialysis centres, treatment is provided entirely free,” he said.
With a capacity to treat 36 patients daily, Sim said the new centre in Penang could be expanded to treat over 70 patients.
