The implementation of LINDUNG 24/7 is seen as a catalyst for comprehensive social security protection, in line with current changes in work patterns, which also rely on hybrid and flexible arrangements.
The Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) stated that the implementation of the Non-Occupational Accident Scheme (LINDUNG 24/7) is capable of closing existing gaps. This is because PERKESO statistics for the period from 2023 until September of this year show that 11,851 claims by contributors under LINDUNG Pekerja were rejected because they were classified as non-work-related accidents.
“Hence, there is a pressing need to provide a new scheme that offers 24-hour protection to local and foreign workers in Malaysia. Through LINDUNG 24/7, workers will enjoy a comprehensive social safety net, including for accidents that occur outside working hours, which differs from the previous scheme that only involved work-related incidents. This strategic step is in line with the shift from the conventional work concept to the current hybrid approach, in addition to addressing the social security protection gap in the existing system,” according to PERKESO today.
From a different perspective, the implementation of LINDUNG 24/7 is also expected to reduce the financial strain on the national public healthcare system, as PERKESO will bear the financing for the treatment and rehabilitation of contributors.
Through the provision of this new scheme, more than 9.6 million active contributors under LINDUNG Pekerja, based on current PERKESO statistics, are expected to receive benefits, thus strengthening the social network of workers in Malaysia, and even matching international practices.
“This step marks another important transformation in the history of national social protection under PERKESO’s purview, in line with the principle that social protection should be appropriate rather than exclusive,” according to the statement.
Read for the first time in the Dewan Rakyat by the Minister of Human Resources, Steven Sim Chee Keong, yesterday, LINDUNG 24/7 is a vital government initiative in ensuring the welfare of all workers in Malaysia remains protected. The second and third readings for the amendment to the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) are expected to be tabled by Steven Sim in the Dewan Rakyat in December this year for debate by Members of Parliament.
Under this scheme, eligible workers will receive various benefits, including:
- Medical Benefit
- Temporary Disablement Benefit (TDB)
- Permanent Disablement Benefit (PDB)
- Dependants’ Benefit (DB)
- Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA)
- Funeral Benefit (FB)
- Rehabilitation Benefit
- Education Benefit
