70pc of patients at Socso rehab centre returned to work, says HR Minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Seventy per cent of the 10,695 individuals who sought treatment at the Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Rehabilitation Centre for the period between 2019 and last January have been able to return to work.

Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said that of the number of those who sought treatment, 494 of them were from Sabah and Sarawak.

“Those who are eligible to receive treatment at the Socso’s Rehabilitation Centre consist of two categories, namely Socso contributors (90 per cent) and non-Socso contributors (10 per cent),” he said during the question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Feb 28).

He was responding to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Richard Riot (GPS-Serian) regarding the number of those who were able to return to work after attending the Socso Rehabilitation Centre and the criteria to be eligible for the treatment there.

The Socso Rehabilitation Centre was built to help Socso Insureds and workers recover physically and vocationally until they finally return to work and society with maximum ability.

In response to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib (PN-Maran) about whether the government plans to build an occupational health and safety hospital, Sim said the matter had to be discussed and approved by the Health Ministry.

Earlier to an original question from Richard whether the government plans to build a Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Sarawak, Sim said the government hoped to set up three more in the next five years.

“The (Human Resources) Ministry is prepared to hold further discussions regarding the location and requirements, and cooperation with the Sarawak government since the establishment of the centre involves a huge cost,” he said.

According to him, Socso signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universiti Sarawak (Unimas) on Aug 5, 2022, to provide rehabilitation programmes

and facilities at its teaching hospital and until last Jan 31, 18 cases have been referred to Unimas.

Of the 18 cases, nine of them have returned to work, eight completed rehabilitation treatment and one is still undergoing rehabilitation treatment, he said.- BK