MOH: Give All Employees Special Day Off To Undergo Annual Health Screening
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was unsatisfactory that only about 53% of Malaysian adults have undergone medical check-ups in the past one year.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has proposed that employers give employees an additional one-day leave to go for their annual health screening appointments
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the cooperation of employers in both the public and private sectors is necessary to ensure workers undergo regular health screening.
"I've requested for this under the 2023 Budget as it will have an impact on the employers," he said after officiating an event in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, on Sunday, 11 September.
He has also urged the Ministry of Finance to draw up a regulation for employers to provide such a day's leave to their workers.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin at the Merdeka@Parlimen event in Rembau on Sunday, 11 September.
Image via Bernama
Khairy said employers need to take into consideration that employees may not have time to go for medical check-ups on weekends
"When a worker wants to do a medical check-up, usually once a year, hopefully, the employers will give it. Otherwise, they will have to take it from their annual leave," he explained.
"They are not able to do it during their working hours and they'll be busy with their own family on weekends. In the end, they are unable to undergo health screening," he noted.
It was reported that the level of health awareness in the country is still low, with only about 53% of Malaysian adults having undergone medical check-ups in the past one year
Khairy also said Malaysia has a very high number of non-communicable diseases (NCD), such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cancer, which are preventable with early detection of risk factors.
However, despite the ministry running various free health screening initiatives, Malaysians have not been making full use of the facilities provided.
"A total of six million people are eligible for Skim Peduli Kesihatan B40 (PeKa B40), but so far, only 600,000 people or 10% have used it," he said.
"Early intervention can detect disease. Do not wait until you are sick to go for medical examinations at clinics," he advised.
"Diabetes should be treated before it leads to amputation of a leg, and strokes can also be prevented with early treatment."
The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey found that one in five Malaysian adults suffer from diabetes:
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