PUTRAJAYA, March 28 — Malaysians with insurance and takaful (syariah compliant) policies can now go for the Covid-19 screening test at any of the country’s private medical facilities.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the announcement made by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday for the insurance and takaful industry to cover the cost of screening tests would surely ease the burden of the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“So we hope those who are insured and able will carry out the test in the private sector, ” he said when commenting on the Prihatin Rakyat Economic Stimulus Package (PRIHATIN) announced yesterday.
Through the package, the insurance industry created a special fund of RM8 million to cover screening costs of up to RM300 for each policy and medical takaful certificate holder directed by MOH to undergo testing at a private medical facility.
Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham said the special allowance allocated to the doctors and nurses was a form of appreciation from the government over their hard work in the last four months.
“They have contributed, sacrifice their family and time to make sure that they perform.
“The staff have been working round the clock for the last four months. It’s not just one month but four months because we started early,” he said.
The Prime Minister today also announced that in appreciation of the sacrifices of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers, the government would increase their special allowance from RM400 to RM600 a month from April 1 until the Covid-19 situation improved.
In another development, when asked on the test on the Made-in-China Rapid Test Kit (RTK), Dr Noor Hisham said the results of tests using the kit were inaccurate.
He clarified that the ministry was also looking at the RTK which was made in South Korea.
‘’If it succeeds and the accuracy or sensitivity is very high, then we can have 200,000 (kits), but if the accuracy is not that good then we will not proceed with the purchase,” he said.
— Bernama
