Employees in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector will be prioritised for vaccination under PIKAS

Implementation of PIKAS will begin on 16 June 2021 with on-site vaccination drives at designated factories and industrial locations.

On 12 June, Malaysia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Assurance Special Committee (Jawatankuasa Khas Jaminan Akses Bekalan Vaksin COVID-19, or JKJAV) has agreed that the Program lmunisasi lndustri COVID-19 Kerjasama Awam-Swasta (PIKAS) will be launched as phase four of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).

This move is aimed at accelerating immunisation and her immunity for Malaysians.

Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, said: “The government is committed to ensuring employees have free vaccines under PIKAS, supported by the private sector in administering vaccines, and utilising private medical practitioners, implemented nationwide including vaccination at factory premises.”

Implementation of PIKAS will begin on 16 June 2021 with on-site vaccination drives at designated factories and industrial locations. Companies prioritised in PIKAS will be those in:

• Electrical and electronics;
• Food processing;
• Iron and steel;
• Medical devices;
• Personal protective equipment (PPE);
• Oil and gas and rubber products, including medical glove manufacturing sub-sectors

PIKAS is a public-private partnership immunisation programme aimed at employees for which Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has been tasked to coordinate the immunisation for employees in the manufacturing sector.

Thus far, MITI has received applications from approximately 500 companies with a total of 106,591 workers to participate in PIKAS.

Under PIKAS, companies are subjected to the following terms and conditions:

• Employees have to be registered with MySejahtera under PICK;
• Employers shall not deduct administration fees paid to the private medical general practitioners, and for usage of private-run vaccine administration centres from employee's salary, including in cases where the employee is no longer employed by the company before full immunisation of the employee.

Other companies interested to participate are welcome to submit their applications through their industry associations and business chambers of commerce. Priority of vaccination of companies will be based on several considerations, including company's location in COVID-19 red zones. Participation of companies and employees in PIKAS is voluntary.

Malaysians who previously missed out on the government’s BPR package, can appeal from 15 to 30 June 2021

Through five phases (one, two, three, and two additional phases), BPR will be channelling a total of RM9.1bn to Malaysians.

On 13 June, Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) announced that it has opened its bantuan prihatin rakyat (BPR) package for appeal between 15 to 30 June. This is to ensure the ministry receives the most updated database of those B40 groups who are eligible receive it.

“The government is aware that there may still be people who are eligible to receive the BPR but have not yet been registered in the government database,” said MOF in a press release.

Other than updating its database, this period will also provide an opportunity for those who failed in their previous application to appeal for BPR.

As announced in the PEMERKASA+ on 31 May 2021, the government has introduced an additional BPR of RM2.1bn to assist existing BPR recipients. Applicants who pass this appeal are also eligible to receive the additional BPR payment.

The applicant can submit an appeal via two methods:

• Online: The official portal, Melalui Portal Rasmi BPR LHDNM;
• Manual: The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (IRBM), Revenue Service Center (Pusat Khidmat Hasil, or PKH), or Urban Transformation Center (Pusat Transformasi Bandar, or UTC) by appointment only.

Once the BPR database is updated, the appeal payments to approved applicants will be channelled in August 2021 (additional BPR), and in September 2021 (BPR Phase 3).

To date, RM4.6bn of BPR has been channelled to a total of 8.4mn B40 Malaysians in February/March and May 2021. Phase Payment 3 of RM2.4bn will be made in September 2021. These phases of BPR take the total payment sum to RM9.1bn.

Chief Executive of SOCSO provides updates on Program Subsidi Upah (PSU) 3.0

Dr Mohammed Azman, has shared that for employers who have never applied for PSU 3.0 before, they need to submit a new application on the portal.

Since the application for PSU 3.0 opened on 1 January 2021, until 9 June 2021, SOCSO has received 98,933 applications from employers, which represents more than 1.09mn employees in Malaysia. This includes applications for the extension of PSU 3.0 under PEMERKASA+.

According to Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial’s (SOCSO) press release, on Facebook, the number of employer applications received by states are as follows:

• Selangor: 27,128 applications from employers; this represents 318,827 employees.
• Kuala Lumpur: 14,273 applications; this represents 170,978 employees.
• Johor: 15,269 applications; this represents 144,703 employees.

Full applications for PSU 3.0 can be viewed through prihatin.perkeso.gov.my. The closing date for applications is 31 July 2021.

Malaysia’s Chief Executive of Social Security Organisation (SOCSO), Dr Mohammed Azman, said: “I would like to inform that for employers who have applied for PSU 3.0 under the stimulus packages, PERMAl and PEMERKASA, they do not need to submit a new application for a one-month claim for further PSU 3.0 under PEMERKASA+.”

However, he reminded that in the event of a change in the status of business activity or the number of eligible employees, the employer is required to update the change of information, no later than the 15th day of the month in the month.

This can be done through the Prihatin portal.

“For employers who have never applied for PSU 3.0 before, they need to submit a new application on the portal,” said Dr Azman.

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