SOCSO - Not the kind of plan you entirely fall back on

Being a pilot is an admiration to many. Along with the ego of flying planes and jets, this is a career that entices if not all but most of us to consider joining because of it's high-flying income. But what use if the kind of money they earn is not put to better use, especially when pilots are diagnosed with a certain illness, and lose his job due to that.

Here is a story about Gurdeep Singh and SOCSO, a government-backed organisation that deducts salaries of working people to contribute into a fund pool to pay for any illnesses/mishaps in case the contributor is affected during the course of duty.

Thursday September 17,2009
Ailing ex-pilot ‘shunned’ by Socso

IPOH: For 17 years, pilot Gurdeep Singh contributed diligently to the Social Security Organisation (Socso).

Now, in his time of need, the 44-year-old former employee of Malaysia Airline claims he has been shunned by Socso.

His predicament started in July 2006 after being diagnosed with vertigo.

“Despite being certified as suffering from the condition, the organisation still refused to pay the benefits entitled to me,” he said yesterday.

Due to his situation, he said MAS terminated his services in 2007.

At a press conference called by Perak Barisan Nasional Public Services and Complaints Centre chairman Datuk Lee Kon Yin here, Gurdeep said he had raised the matter to the organisation’s appeals board.

”My claims were approved by the board chairman and she subsequently ordered the organisation to pay me,” he said.

However, he said no payment from Socso had arrived so far.

Gurdeep, who is now unemployed, said he had made countless trips to the Socso office and seen many people to seek help to solve his problem.

Lee said he would help Gurdeep raise the matter with Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam.

By The Star Online - http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/17/nation/4729665&sec=nation

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Like Gurdeep, I am sure he has some sort of medical plans for himself and it is a choice made by him. To relate with his predicament on SOCSO claims, SOCSO is not a matter of choice but it was made compulsary for anyone who joined the workforce to contribute part of their salary into this fund. It is like an insurance scheme where it pays back to the contributor, if he/she succumb to injuries or diagnosed with illness during the course of his/her employment.

To me, as a backup plan, its better to have a separate critical illness plan. Usually insurance companies do have plans like these and in a nutshell, these plans are there to protect an individual during unforseen circumstances like Gurdeep is in - at least the claims can be reimbursed promptly rather than to be faced with delays and the like.