Fomema Offers Insurance

Employers can now save time and money purchasing insurance for foreign workers via a new online integrated system. The Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) has partnered with insurance providers to provide the service to employers. The insurance providers are Etiqa Insurance & Takaful, Tune Protect Malaysia, QBE Insurance Malaysia and Chubb Insurance Malaysia Bhd. Fomema president and chief executive Datuk Mohd Hatar Ismail said the new service provides a cost-saving and convenient platform for employers to get insurance for their foreign workers.

“It costs only RM1 per transaction, compared to obtaining a banker’s cheque or bank draft which costs RM4 to RM5, or if you get a money order from the post office, which costs more than RM1.

“It also provides convenience as employers can buy the insurance from the comfort of their homes or offices,” he said at the launch of the integrated online system.

Mohd Hatar said the number of foreign workers in the country registered with Fomema so far this year stands at 585,213 as of April 22. Medical screening fees have remained unchanged since 1997 and he hopes this combined with the integrated system would spur employers to register their foreign workers with Fomema.

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. The spread of these diseases can be better monitored with the introduction early this year of additional compulsory health screenings for foreign workers every two years.