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High time for Socso to be accountable to contributors
THE Social Security Organisation (Socso) has been managed without any sense of accountability to its contributors for way too long. The management has been spending money that does not reflect the amount in Socso’s coffers.
A few years ago, the previous government pushed through the Employment Insurance System Act 2017, which required all employers in the private sector to pay monthly contributions for each of their employees. (Government employees, domestic workers and the self-employed are exempted.)
The system is meant to provide temporary assistance for up to six months for employees who have lost their employment. To date, however, little is known about how those who have lost their jobs are really benefiting from the EIS.
I have had to help someone in the B40 group access this benefit recently. The sad conclusion is that the processes in Socso are designed only for people who have online access and a bank account. The reality is that many people in the B40 group do not have bank accounts. I hope the processes can be simplified for those who really need the benefits.
When the EIS came into effect on Jan 1,2018, those in the higher income brackets (M40 and T20) were also forced to contribute to Socso. The reality is that majority in these groups already have a range of personal insurance coverage. Most of these contributors also do not have any idea about what benefits they can get. They are just contributing because they have no choice.
I can conclude that only contributors who have absolutely no choice (for example no personal insurance coverage) would claim from Socso because the processes are so complex.
Socso’s current IT system is archaic and deplorable by any basic IT design standard. One cannot help but feel that those processes were designed to discourage contributors from accessing the benefits.
One example can be seen in the frequently asked questions for the panel clinics section (https://bit.ly/3c4qTgD), which is as follows:
1) What are the documents required by the OB/employer to be brought together during emergency treatment at the Clinic Panel?
> Insured Person/Employers need to bring along:
i. Form 21: Accident Report
ii. Form PKS(P)68: Occupational Disease Report; or Form PKS(P)69: Notice of Occupational Disease of the Insured Person representative
iii. Introduction letter from employer
The forms can be downloaded from (Link number 4 – To Be Brought By Form OB/Employer)
Honestly, does anyone have time to prepare all the above for an emergency treatment?
I have also not seen any financial accounts published by Socso on its website. It’s time for Socso to publish its accounts for the public to see since the salaries of the whole organisation are paid by the contributors.
It’s high time, too, that Socso is made accountable to the contributors of the fund.
Source : https://www.thestar.com.my/…/high-time-for-socso-to-be-acco…
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