Less than 80,000 eligible B40 in S’wak have made use of PeKa B40 benefits, says ProtectHealth CEO

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Dr Anas Alam (right) and Dr Lau at the press conference.

KUCHING (April 7): Less than 80,000 of eligible low-income Sarawakians have made use of benefits provided in the Healthcare Protection Scheme for the B40 Group (PeKa B40) such as free health screening, said ProtectHealth Corporation chief executive officer Dato Dr Anas Alam Faizli.

He said PeKa B40 is a government initiative via the Health Ministry (MoH) that aims to sustain the healthcare needs of the country’s B40 – or bottom 40th percentile of wage earners – by focusing on non-communicable diseases.

He said nationwide, there are about 5.9 million who are entitled for PeKa B40 benefits but only about 580,000 have had their health screened.

“In Sarawak, there are more than 600,000 eligible B40 beneficiaries and we have only screened 78,241. We have not yet screened 583,253 beneficiaries here.

“We would like to encourage those who are eligible to go to any clinic registered under ProtectHealth Corporation – both private and government –that are offering the services,” he told a press conference at Reliance Medical Clinic in Kota Sentosa, here yesterday.

According to him, there are more than 3,000 private clinics and 900 government health clinics nationwide registered with ProtectHealth Corporation.

Dr Anas Alam said the public would only need to bring their identity card to any of these clinics to check their eligibility.

“You can also go to our website www.pekaB40.com.my where you can search the clinics listed, and at the same check your eligibility by keying in your MyKad number.

“If you are a recipient of Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) and above the age of 40, you and your spouse are automatically eligible.”

He said there are four benefits provided under PeKa B40, namely (i) free health screening; (ii) up to RM20,000 in the form of purchased medical equipment; (iii) RM1,000 cash incentive to cancer patients who complete their treatment at MoH hospitals; and (iv) transport cost incentive for those who have to travel to receive treatment at MoH hospitals (RM1,000 for Sarawak, Sabah and Labuan, RM500 for Peninsular Malaysia).

He explained that to be eligible for benefits (ii), (iii) and (iv), a person would first need to undergo a health screening.

Meanwhile, general practitioner Dr Raymond Lau Syn Yew of Reliance Medical Clinic hopes those in the B40 group will come forward and get their health screened.

He said the response to the programme when started in 2019 was quite good but then slowed down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“For 2021, we only managed to screen and diagnose about 1,130 individuals. Some had hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and other sickness.

“When they come back for the second visit, we will tell them their illness and we will start their medication if indicated,” he said, adding he hopes more people will come forward to get themselves screened now that the country is transitioning towards Covid-19 endemicity.

“This is a good programme by MoH, and I hope the public, especially the B40, will register themselves (under PeKa B40).”

Dr Lau also informed they are planning to do outreach programmes in the interior parts of Sarawak, covering villages and longhouses.

“We are currently coordinating with the community leaders. If some residents have problems with transportation to get screened at a certain venue, we will communicate with the village chiefs to have one centre ready for screening so that everyone can go to the centre.

“Early detection saves lives,” he said.