KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 – About 19 per cent of 800,000 Peka B40 target beneficiaries, or 150,000 people, have undergone health screenings under the Ministry of Health (MOH) programme for the low-income.
According to ProtectHealth Corporation, an MOH-owned company that runs the Peka B40 programme, 60 per cent of those screened were diagnosed with various ailments requiring medical follow-up.
“Peka B40 emphasises early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the B40 group, especially as they age, thus reducing the burden of the treatment group,” said ProtectHealth CEO Ab Latiff Abu Bakar, according to a Harian Metro report published today.
“It is fully funded by the government and provides four benefits, including health screening services, medical assistance, incentives for cancer treatment and transportation fare incentives.”
“If they are BSH (Bantuan Sara Hidup) recipients and couples aged 50 and above, their participation is automatic and no registration is required,” he said.
Ab Latiff reportedly said that the number of people attending the screening was very encouraging given the high level of awareness, even though the scheme had not been implemented for a year. However, MOH had actually targeted 800,000 beneficiaries by year-end since the launch of Peka B40 mid-April.
According to Ab Latiff, free Peka B40 screenings are available at 1,529 private general practitioner (GP) clinics and 885 MOH health clinics nationwide.
Next year, the floor age of Peka B40 recipients will be reduced to 40 years, as announced in Budget 2020.
Peka B40 recipients are required to undergo a health screening first to identify the types of diseases, treatments and medical devices that they can receive.
Free health screenings include mental health, breast and prostate clinical examinations (if needed), while laboratory examinations include blood and urine tests for diabetes, cholesterol levels and kidney function.
Through the benefit of medical device assistance, the recipient will receive assistance with a maximum lifetime limit of RM20,000 in certain device categories. The medical devices include stent for the heart, hearing aids, prosthetics, intraocular eye glasses, or wheelchairs, among others.
“Upon referral to the MOH facility, the MOH medical officer will conduct further examination and if eligible for medical assistance or incentives, the medical officer will make an application by filling out an online form and ordering for surgery where the cost of the medical device or incentives are funded by ProtectHealth,” Ab Latiff said.
