SOCSO'S LINDUNG 24/7 SCHEME TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY MID-YEAR - RAMANAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- The Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) Lindung 24/7 Scheme is expected to be implemented by mid-year, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan.

He said his ministry needs to take careful steps before implementing any initiative.

“We need to ensure that the scheme 'syncs with' other programmes. So for now, it is still in the planning stage, but it will definitely be implemented this year,” he told reporters after a luncheon with the media here today. 

Also present were Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Perkeso chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) editor-in-chief D. Arul Rajoo and Bernama TV head Nor Hamzeela Md Hambali. 

The Dewan Rakyat sitting in early December last year passed the Employees’ Social Security (Amendment) Bill 2025, which, among others, introduced the Lindung 24/7 Scheme, aimed at providing comprehensive, round-the-clock protection for workers, including outside working hours.

Socso previously said that under Lindung 24/7, workers will enjoy comprehensive social security coverage, including for accidents that occur outside working hours, unlike previous schemes that covered only work-related incidents.

Eligible workers will receive various benefits, including Medical Benefit, Temporary Disablement Benefit, Permanent Disablement Benefit, Dependants’ Benefit, Constant Attendance Allowance, Funeral Benefit, Rehabilitation Benefit and Education Benefit.

Meanwhile, Socso said in a statement that last year, 150,599 out of 208,599 job seekers secured employment through 3,715 career carnivals and interview sessions organised by the agency, involving nearly 24,000 employers nationwide.

Socso added that its rehabilitation approach has also shown encouraging impact, with more than 80 per cent, or 4,817 out of 5,887 patients, successfully reintegrated into society and returning to work.

“The opening of the Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Ipoh, expected this year, as well as plans to build a hospital and rehabilitation centre in Terengganu and Penang, will complete the social protection ecosystem, as capacity at existing centres in Melaka and Ipoh has now reached between 90 and 95 per cent,” the statement said.

This year, Socso also aims to focus on amendments to the Employment Insurance System Act 2017 (Act 800), the gazettement of the Gig Workers Act 2025, which is expected to benefit more than 1.2 million workers, as well as a feasibility study on the Commuter Scheme to assist nearly 400,000 Malaysians who commute to work in Singapore.

-- BERNAMA