KUALA LUMPUR: Only 1.6 million Malaysians from the B40 group have benefited from free health screenings under the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) PeKa B40 scheme as of May 31.
Launched in 2019, the initiative provides comprehensive health checks to 6.9 million Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah (STR) recipients, including free basic screenings, physical examinations, blood and urine tests, and two doctor consultations.
ProtectHealth Corporation’s head of Quality Assurance, Dr Muhammed Anis Abd Wahab, said the scheme is a national effort to protect Malaysians from a growing silent health crisis.
However, he noted that uptake remains low, reflecting a lack of preventive health culture, particularly among lower-income groups.
“Key factors include time constraints, work priorities, concerns over treatment costs, and the perception that ‘it’s better not to know if you’re ill,’” he said.
“During engagement sessions and outreach programmes, many recipients acknowledged they understand the importance of health checks but prefer not to discover a serious illness and face treatment costs,” he told Bernama recently.
He said that most patients who eventually seek hospital treatment are already in critical condition, something that could have been avoided through early prevention and regular screenings.
Dr Muhammed Anis added that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol remain major causes of death and disability in Malaysia, with many patients only discovering their condition at an advanced stage.
Citing a joint study with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017, he stated that NCDs result in an annual economic loss of RM100 billion to RM300 billion, with productivity losses from absenteeism alone estimated at RM12.8 billion per year.
“This is the reality. We are seeing a heavy economic burden and productivity loss from NCDs, where individuals are unable to work or attend work but remain unproductive due to poor health, a phenomenon known as absenteeism and presenteeism,” he said.
“This situation is estimated to cost the national economy RM12.8 billion annually, funds that could otherwise contribute positively to economic growth,” he said.
He added that ProtectHealth is adopting various community-level approaches, working with NGOs, private clinics and local leaders to expand access to healthcare, particularly for high-risk groups such as those who are overweight or physically inactive.
Eligible participants under PeKa B40 can also access medical device assistance, cancer treatment support and transport subsidies.
ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of ProtectHealth Malaysia under MOH, was established on Dec 19, 2016.
It is responsible for coordinating, administering and managing various healthcare financing initiatives entrusted by the MOH, including PeKa B40, the MADANI Medical Scheme and the Hospital Services Outsourcing (HSOP) programme. - Bernama
