MySalam no longer open to M40, DAP MP cries foul

 

The federal government has been accused of quietly disqualifying the M40 income group from the National Health Protection Scheme (MySalam).

In a statement today, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim said that the move to exclude the segment was only announced through MySalam's website.

Launched by the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2019, successful applicants are able to claim RM50 a day for 14 days and RM8,000 if they are diagnosed with 36 types of critical illnesses.

The scheme was only open to the B40 income group at launch but was expanded to cover the M40 group as well in February last year.

The MySalam website currently has a running crawler which reads: "Finance Ministry: Please be aware that the inclusion of the M40 group has been postponed for now."

Sim said that with the country reeling from a raging Covid-19 pandemic, now was not the time to withdraw MySalam coverage.

"It will help to reduce the burden on the rakyat and the financial cost of the government, especially since private hospital services are now required," he said.

Sim also urged private hospitals to play their part in ensuring affordable healthcare services in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. - Mkini