PETALING JAYA (Feb 2): The Malayan Agricultural Producers Association (Mapa) expressed on Friday, deep concern regarding the financial implication and the obligation of the annual medical examination on foreign workers imposed by the Foreign Workers Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema), and appealed to the relevant authority to re-examine the increase in the frequency of medical check-ups and fees.
The association, which represents the largest employers’ trade union representing plantation companies, said the employers within the plantation fraternity are not only disappointed but also regretted the changes with regard to the new requirement, from a three-yearly to an annual medical examination.
“Apart from the unilateral increase in the frequency of medical examinations, the medical examination fee has also been increased from RM190 to RM207 for male foreign workers and from RM207 to RM217 for female foreign workers.
“As far as the plantation’s companies within the membership of Mapa are concerned, the previous medical examination by the appointed medical practitioner is only in the region of not more than RM100 per year.
“With the proposed changes, employers in the plantation sector would have to incur additional financial burden yearly, which is in the region of more than RM100 million per year,” said Mapa’s director Haji Mohamad Audong in a statement released on Friday.
The association said that all relevant stakeholders should be invited to discuss the matter and to find an equitable solution to the issues and problems regarding the change in policy in the frequency of medical examinations on foreign workers.
Mapa also alleged that Fomema is more concerned with profits rather than the health aspect of the foreign workers and the health of the population of the country.
“Fomema as a sole concession company has continued to be appointed by the government to monitor the health aspect of foreign workers. Mapa has always maintained that the monitoring and screening of the important aspect of health of foreign workers should not be undertaken by the concession company but instead, it is [the] responsibility of the government to do so,” said Mohamad.
Earlier, the Malaysian Employers’ Federation and the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers had also expressed their concerns and disappointment on the unilateral decision taken by Fomema and the authorities without consulting them first as stakeholders of the foreign workers’ employers.