THE government will consider a proposal to allow people older than 55 to benefit from the mySalam health protection scheme, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Currently, the scheme is available to Malaysians between 18 and 55.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said eligibility in the private sector is for those between 18 and 55, but as mySalam is a government initiative, Putrajaya will consider the proposal to increase the age limit.

The scheme, an initiative of the Pakatan Harapan government, aims to provide 3.69 million B40 individuals and their spouses with free takaful health protection.

Lim was replying to a supplementary question from Maria Chin Abdullah (PH-Petaling Jaya), who wanted to know whether the government will raise the upper limit in terms of age for mySalam given that many people suffer from illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s, after turning 55.

To Maria’s original question on what happens to unclaimed mySalam funds, Lim said the surplus is returned to the scheme.

He said a trust fund was set up to manage insurers and takaful operators’ contributions to the scheme.

The mySalam initiative was implemented with the collaboration of insurance company Great Eastern Holdings, which contributed an initial RM2 billion to the trust fund, he added.

To start, said Lim, the scheme is offered through Great Eastern Takaful Bhd, which is registered under the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 and regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia.

The scheme provides for a one-time payment of RM8,000 to eligible recipients diagnosed with any of 36 critical illnesses, including cancer and heart disease, he said.

He said it also provides for a RM50-per-day income replacement for a maximum of 14 days, or RM700 annually, for those receiving treatment at government hospitals. – Bernama, March 28, 2019.