MySalam is the national health protection scheme initiated by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018.
Through this scheme, those who are suddenly diagnosed with a critical illness would receive a cash payout of RM4,000 or RM8,000 depending on their income level. The recipient would also receive hospitalisation claim of RM50 per day, up to a maximum of 14 days.
MySalam is, therefore, a landmark policy because it greatly benefits the people, especially the B40. The scheme provides them with a security net to ease their financial burden in the unfortunate event of being diagnosed with a critical illness.
The scheme initially covers only the B40 households, but this year, it is expended to the M40 category, i.e. individuals earning less than RM100,000 a year. Those under the M40 category were required to register on the MySalam website (www.mysalam.com.my) to be entitled.
The registration officially ended on 31 March 2020. However, the registration website was down and inaccessible from 29 March 2020 – 31 March 2020. The telephone hotline was also not accessible.
Consequently, many eligible individuals were unable to register for the MySalam scheme, despite trying repeatedly to access the website before the deadline.
My office has personally received hundreds of calls and messages about this issue. Many were disappointed because they were unable to register in time.
Therefore, I strongly urge the government and Great Eastern Holdings, the operator of the MySalam scheme, to extend the registration period of the MySalam scheme for the M40 category. At the least, the registration period should be extended until 15 April 2020.
The government and Great Eastern Holdings should make good their promise to extend the MySalam scheme to those eligible. Those who are genuinely eligible should not be penalised. It was not their fault that the MySalam website failed at such a crucial moment.