LABUAN: Only 10.5 per cent or slightly over 620,000 of the 5.9 million Malaysians in the bottom 40 per cent income (B40) bracket have utilised the PeKa B40 free health screening scheme as of May 31 this year, according to ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd.
In view of the low take-up, the Ministry of Health (MoH)-owned company will be conducting briefings nationwide in collaboration with state health departments to raise awareness on the campaign.
ProtectHealth Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Dr Anas Alam Faizli said it was a great challenge to meet the target of getting all the 5.9 million eligible Malaysians screened.
“The PeKa B40 scheme was launched in April 2019 but there is still a big gap between the eligible number and the number of those who have utilised the scheme,” he said when briefing reporters at the Millennium Clinic here today.
He said Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan had recorded the highest screening rate at 17 per cent, followed by Negeri Sembilan with 14 per cent, Melaka and Sarawak (13 per cent), Perak (12 per cent), Penang (11 per cent) and Putrajaya (10 per cent).
States with take-up rates below 10 per cent are Terengganu and Sabah (nine per cent), Johor (seven per cent), Pahang (five per cent), and Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Labuan and Selangor (four per cent).
“We should be able to cover Labuan within this year as based on records, 12,631 Malaysians are eligible for the scheme but only 506 have undergone the free health screening.
“In Labuan, we have seven private clinics providing the PeKa B40 free health screenings. We hope those eligible would fully utilise this scheme,” he said.
Dr Anas said the benefits offered under the Peka B40 screening scheme include aid to purchase medical equipment of up to RM20,000, cancer treatment completion incentive of RM1,000, and a maximum transport incentive of RM500 in Peninsular Malaysia and RM1,000 in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
Health screenings can be conducted at health clinics and MoH hospitals and health clinics, and recipients of Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat and their registered spouses are eligible for the scheme.
Dr Anas said health screenings are important for early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCD) that if not managed could lead to an increase in cardiovascular diseases, which would result in higher healthcare costs for individuals and the government. — Bernama
