PRESS RELEASE / SIARAN MEDIA

10th MAY 2021

HAS YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY INCREASED THE PRICE OF YOUR MEDICAL PREMIUMS?

FOMCA has been recently receiving many complaints from policy holders of medical insurance of indiscriminate increase in the price of their premiums. We are concerned of how extensive this issue this and how many consumers have been similarly affected by the price increase of their premiums.

We call on all consumers with medical insurance policies to inform us of the price increase of your premiums and for those who have not received any notices of price increase in your medical insurance to contact your agent and ask him/her if there is indeed any increase in the price of your medical premiums.

At the current time, with unending lockdowns and conditional lockdowns, many consumers have been severely affected either through loss of jobs or reduction in incomes. This is certainly not the time to increase insurance premiums.

It is certainly wrong and unacceptable that insurance companies, at this time raise premium prices to make excessive profits. Consumers are already suffering.

If based on your feedback, we find that many consumers have been forced to pay increasing medical premiums, FOMCA will be launching a National Campaign to urge Bank Negara Malaysia to Stop the Increase in Medical Premiums. 

Consumers are facing tremendous economic pressure due to job loss, income loss and economic insecurity. Now is certainly not the time to increase medical insurance premiums.

As a responsible regulator, Bank Negara Malaysia, to protect consumers, should have already pre-emptively directed insurance companies not to increase premiums at his point of time.

Please provide the feedback to FOMCA to enable us to know if you have been affected by the price increase of your medical insurance premium?

Let us as consumers act together to protect our interests.

These are the information we need

• Insurance Company
• Current Annual Insurance Premium (RM)
• New Annual Insurance Premium (RM)

You may email us the details at insurance@fomca.org.my or via this online form   .

Kindly visit our webpage for more information.

February 16, 2021 @ 3:23pm

Its president, Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason, cited the Jalan Telawi cluster which was a case of supermarket workers becoming infected with the Covid-19 virus.

"Supermarket and retail outlet workers have extensive exposure daily to their customers. During the entire pandemic, retail stores have been open to cater to the needs of the rakyat for food and other essentials.

"Retail workers are exposed to their customers, including those who may refuse or neglect to follow the standard SOPs such as wearing masks or keeping a 1m distance from others. This exposes the workers to risk," he said in a statement, today.
On the other hand, he said, if for some reason the workers themselves are infected, especially with no symptoms, they can be a source of infecting other workers and customers, exposing consumers to risk.

Marimuthu added that in some ways, retailers have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic serving consumers in which they live and work.

Throughout the pandemic, consumers have had access to food and other essentials, a crucial component in enabling consumers in facing the lockdowns, he said.

"As such Fomca urges the authorities to move retail workers to the front of the line for early inoculation.

January 15, 2021 2:13 PM

Its president, Marimuthu Nadason, said the government must seriously consider the impact the reimposed MCO will have on workers and businesses.

“They will need financial support. Fomca urges that all affected businesses and workers will be supported at least with a minimum wage to help them through the crisis. Abandoning the workers without any support is just plain cruel.

“Next, Fomca calls on Bank Negara to extend the loan moratorium until at least August. Bank Negara’s silence and indifference to the plight of the rakyat is deafening. There should be an immediate moratorium on all loans to assist those impacted by the MCO,” he said in a statement.

He also suggested that insurance companies be prevented from increasing premiums during the period.

While movement restrictions were necessary, Marimuthu said, it was important to ensure vulnerable communities were not left behind.

“Let us not forget or neglect the low income and the vulnerable who are suffering and will be impacted even worse by these new measures. A responsible government should take concrete and firm measures to support them,” he said.

According to the Malaysian Employers Federation, the economic fallout of the various movement restrictions caused 30,000 businesses to cease operations, resulting in 100,000 job losses, last year.

In its obsession to “go digital”, MBPJ is demanding that assessment billing can only be made through digital means, without an alternative, and further warning that the council will not entertain exceptions for late payments. Harsh action that reflects how the local government has not considered the plight of the digitally disadvantaged.

They seem to deny that there is gross digital inequality between the rich and the poor; the rural and the urban and the able and senior citizens. There are indeed many poor and vulnerable groups in MBPJ's jurisdiction who due to poverty, lack of confidence or digital skills are unable to navigate the digital world confidently. They also deserve fairness and justice.

Even private utility companies provide online as well as physical bills and incentivise consumers through discounts to shift towards online billing platforms. The authorities should indeed be more sensitive towards the suffering of the vulnerable rakyat.

No effort has been made to identify and empower vulnerable consumers to help them through the process.

What is extremely disappointing are the so-called counsellors and local politicians who we had hoped would act to protect consumers and enhance their well-being. They have chosen to remain silent instead.

It is indeed laudable for the local government to go digital. It reduces paper wastage as well as brings savings to the agency. But please think of the welfare of all the rakyat, not just the technically savvy.

5 Jan 2021 | Tuesday

As a health crisis, many lost their loved ones or were infected by the dreaded disease. Apart from a strictly physical health crisis, it affected others more deeply.

Mental health issues have increased. Suicides have increased. Beyond that, there were reports of increasing domestic violence.

As an economic crisis, many lost their jobs or had their incomes reduced. Many were stuck with debts or commitments they could not fulfil. Basic needs were affected. Children’s education was affected.

None of this is new. But how do we move forward from here into 2021? There was indeed much suffering, but there are also some lessons to be learnt.

One simple message going viral that “2020 was not a year to expect and plan for what we do not have but appreciate what we do have” can be a start. Let me add some other thoughts.

We need to invest in our health. We do not know when this pandemic will end or the next begin. The next pandemic is not an 'if' but a 'when'. We need to take care of our health and strengthen our immune systems. The suggestions are nothing new: healthier food, exercise, and adequate sleep.

Furthermore, we need to invest in supplements and regular check-ups. Will these protect us? If not completely, certainly they can contribute, to some extent, to reducing the risks and mitigating the negative impacts.

A total of 1,520 complaints on online shopping through social media were reported to the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) as of November this year.

Most claimed to be scammed by sellers, with the top types of items involved being electronic gadgets like handphones and power banks, clothes, watches and women’s accessories.

Another 1,646 complaints were against retailers and sellers of products related to Covid-19 like face masks, hand sanitisers and health supplements, the NCCC tells Sunday Star.

For purchases on social media, NCCC senior manager Baskaran Sithamparam says sellers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are not bound by refund or return policies like those who are on legitimate online marketplaces.

And this has led many consumers to be taken for a ride.

“Some did not receive the items they ordered at all or received only part of the item, ” he says.

DATE OF RELEASE: 12 OCTOBER 2020

PRESS RELEASE: FOMCA ANNUAL CAMPAIGN - FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH

October marks the “Financial Literacy Month” in Malaysia. The on-going event is organised by Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA). Having been first organised in 2011, the event is currently in its ninth year. The theme chosen is “Financial responsibility begins with me.”

The main emphasis of the event is to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach households how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits.

Furthermore, it promotes national awareness and engagement campaigns through various community events.

The Covid-19 and Movement Control Order (MCO) has since been extended to December 2020 and with no ending of the MCO in sight. Workers are losing their jobs and are unable to find new jobs, having their incomes reduced and facing a bleak economic recovery in the future, especially for families facing the crisis with limited means and not having a clear picture of their employment future.

Many consumers might even have to dig into their personal savings or make borrowings from informal sources to meet their basic family expenses. They would probably be from the low-income and the unskilled, this would put tremendous pressures to meet their financial obligations.

Rabu | 9 September 2020

Presidennya, Profesor Datuk Dr N Marimuthu berkata, cadangan berkenaan tidak patut dilaksanakan walaupun cadangan caj yang dikenakan adalah rendah iaitu sebanyak 0.02 peratus.

"Walaupun caj mungkin dikenakan serendah 20 sen bagi pembelian RM1,000 ke bawah tetapi ia juga akhirnya akan membebankan pengguna.

"Mengapa perlu ambil kesempatan untuk kenakan caj pembelian online ini sedangkan banyak lagi alternatif lain yang boleh digunakan kerajaan untuk mencari sumber kewangan," katanya ketika dihubungi Sinar Harian di sini semalam.

Beliau berkata demikian mengulas mengenai kenyataan Timbalan Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin hari ini bahawa kerajaan bercadang untuk mengenakan caj itu bagi pembelian dalam talian termasuk menerusi portal e-dagang, Lazada dan Shopee.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 10

Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) should increase its water reserve margin for at least three days during the upcoming upgrading works to avoid water supply disruption which is expected to affect 420,000 user accounts.

Malaysian Water Forum (MWF) president Saral James Maniam, in calling for proactive action, said Air Selangor should also consider continual improvement planning ideas to be implemented.

“Stop burdening consumers and businesses from time to time. It is time to improve and learn from countries such as Singapore where consumers hardly face any water disruptions due to maintenance or upgrading of facilities by the authorities,” she said in a statement today.

According to Air Selangor, the Selangor River Treatment Plant (LRA) Phase 3 (LRA SSP3) upgrading works from July 14 to 17 were needed to replace several major pipelines to improve the water supply system and plant operation’s efficiency.

Kebiasaannya sumber bekalan air ni boleh diperolehi dengan pelbagai cara sebagai contoh dengan galian air bawah tanah; ambil dan tapis dari air sungai atau laut, pam dipasang supaya boleh menarik air dari kawasan yang tinggi.

Bagaimana jika sumber bekalan air susah untuk didapati, sehingga terpaksa dicatu dan kualiti air pula tidak memenuhi piawaian minimum yang ditetapkan? Kita semua tahu biasanya perkara begini hanya berlaku di Afrika tetapi malangnya perkara ini turut berlaku di bumi Kelantan Darul Naim.

Penduduk Kota Bharu terpaksa mencatu bekalan air sehingga ada yang tidak mandi, semata-mata untuk penjimatan bekalan keperluan yang paling asas untuk manusia iaitu AIR. Situasi terbabit dialami penduduk sepanjang Ramadan lalu yang menyukarkan mereka untuk menjalani kehidupan dengan baik seperti yang telah dipetik dari akhbar Harian Metro yang bertarikh 18 Mei 2020.