DAP MP hits out at foreign workers’ cash outflow, unpaid medical bills

(MM) – Foreign workers’ overseas remittances totalling almost RM20 billion last year would have increased Malaysia’s per capita income by RM714 to RM33,916 if Malaysians had earned the wages instead, a DAP lawmaker said today.

Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching also noted that Bangladesh received remittances of RM3.032 billion last year, but pointed out that there were only 132,350 legal Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia as of December 31, 2012, which would equate to each worker sending home RM1,889 per month last year.

“This figure is too high to be real, which means illegal Bangladeshi foreign workers might be two to three times more than the legal Bangladeshi foreign workers recorded in our country,” said Teo in a statement today.

“In addition to causing cash outflow, foreign workers also become a burden to our healthcare system,” she added.

The DAP assistant national publicity secretary pointed out that in Sabah alone, foreign workers’ unpaid medical bills have increased from RM21.54 million in 2011 to RM40.9 million by April 30 this year.

“The Ministry of Health has enforced the Hospitalisation and Surgical Scheme for Foreign Workers effective January 1, 2011, a mandatory medical coverage for all foreign workers with a premium of RM120 and a total coverage of RM10,000,” said Teo.

She noted that although foreign workers who fail to pay their medical fees are prohibited from renewing their work permits, while their employers will be blacklisted, poor enforcement has resulted in government hospitals bearing much of their medical expenses.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan told Parliament last month that remittances by legal foreign workers doubled from RM10 billion in 2009 to almost RM20 billion last year.

The top five countries that received remittances from Malaysia in 2012 are Bangladesh (RM3 billion), Indonesia (RM3 billion), Nepal (RM2 billion), India (RM625 million) and the Philippines (RM561 million).

According to a statement by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar in October, there were 2.1 million registered foreign workers in Malaysia.

Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Ismail Abd Muttalib was reported by English-language daily the New Straits Times in July as saying that there are 1.3 million illegal immigrants in the country.