Socso: RM3.7b in benefits paid out to contributors last year

The Social Security Organisation (Socso) paid out RM3.7 billion in claimed benefits to contributors last year.

Its CEO Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said the benefit claims covered the Self-Employed Employment Injury Scheme, Employment Insurance System and Invalidity Pension Scheme, with the amount increasing from RM3.27 billion in 2017.

"Among our areas of focus now is non-communicable disease claims, and Socso is actively addressing this by encouraging workers to practise a healthy lifestyle and undergo health screenings provided by the organisation,” he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Azman said the Socso Health Screening Programme, which started in 2013, involved 596,000 contributors, with 73 percent having weight problems, diabetes (nine percent), high blood pressure (27 percent) and high cholesterol level (62 percent).

Socso recorded 22,276 NCD cases in 2018 and 19,501 cases in 2017.

Meanwhile, Socso is targeting 8,000 participants for the Labour Day Run and Ride 2019 on April 28 at Dataran Putrajaya, involving 5km and 10km runs and cycling for 20km and 40km.

Azman said the event was aimed at encouraging people to be active and making sports a routine activity for a healthy body and mind, which could help raise productivity at the workplace and optimise their potential, as well as to enable the public to get to know Socso better.

- Bernama