PETALING JAYA: Two Malaysians were hurt this year while playing with their children at home, both badly enough to be signed off work.
Thankfully, they were protected under Lindung 24 Jam offered by the Social Security Organisation (PERKESO), with the round-the-clock protection scheme making a difference to both claimants.
Nur Farah Sofia Abdul Rahman, 30, was playing with her child on the night of June 22 when the child’s hand accidentally scratched her left eye.
By morning her vision had turned blurry, with the health clinic giving her four days off.
An eye specialist found a defect on the surface of eye from the contact, but her sight was restored after she was prescribed medicated eye drops.
She managed to claim RM72 for being off work for four days, or RM18 for each day.
“I don’t know of any other insurance that would have paid me for medical leave in a situation like this. I’m grateful there was something,” said Nur Farah, who urged other PERKESO contributors to stay insured under Lindung 24 Jam.
“Think carefully before opting out. We never expect an accident to happen, but mine showed me it can happen at any time. Even if the amount isn’t big, some protection is better than none,” she said.
Amirull Aqil Mohd Noorddin was also hurt when his son jumped onto his shoulder, to the extent that the 31-year-old had to be off work for two weeks.
For a lab technician at an oleochemical plant, two weeks is a lot to lose, more so when overtime pay is factored in.
“I never thought playing with my child could hurt me to the point where I couldn’t work,” said Amirull, who is aware that Lindung 24 Jam covers even accidents at home, and in his case, around RM64 per day.
For this two-week medical leave, he was compensated around RM900, which helped cover some of the overtime claims he could have earned.
“It helped ease things while I was on sick leave,” he said, urging others to stay covered under Lindung 24 Jam.
“You don’t know what the next day holds,” he said, adding that his case showed that his contribution of a few ringgit each month to Lindung 24 Jam is well worth it.
“I feel Lindung 24 Jam is very beneficial for Malaysians and thank you to PERKESO for having this initiative,” he said.
