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Malaysia’s Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (FOMEMA) has unveiled an online platform to allow employers to purchase insurance for foreign workers.
The agency has partnered with several insurance providers – Etiqa Insurance & Takaful, Chubb Insurance, Tune Protect Malaysia, and QBE Insurance – to make it easier for employers to comply with regulations requiring insurance for workers hired from abroad, reports The Star.
According to FOMEMA president and chief executive Datuk Mohd Hatar Ismail, the new service saves costs and makes it more convenient for employers, with a fee of only MYR1 (US$0.26) per transaction, while obtaining a bankers cheque or bank draft costs four to five times more.
“It also provides convenience as employers can buy the insurance from the comfort of their homes or offices,” he added during the platform’s launch.
Mohd Hatar revealed that there were 585,213 foreign workers registered with FOMEMA as of April 22. He also encouraged employers to comply with mandatory medical screenings for foreign workers every few years.
“We believe that some employers are still engaging illegal foreign workers who are not subject to any medical examinations, and who are the main culprits in bringing in major communicable diseases into Malaysia,” he was quoted as saying.
