Thinking of faking a sickness to get a day off? Well, you’ve been warned.
In a report by The Star Online, a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer said that employees being absent from work under the pretense of being sick are considered committing corruption.
In a post titled “Menipu Sakit, Satu Kesalahan Rasuah” (Faking Illness, A Corruption Crime), the officer offered his explanation on why producing a medical certificate with false information or claim was an offence under Section 18 of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act. He said that submitting a sick claim was no different from submitting a claim, a receipt or an invoice.
He wrote:
Did you know that producing a medical certificate with false information about one’s illness is corruption? It is under the fake claims category.
The officer added that “doctors also have a responsibility to be cautious when a patient applies for sick leave”.
Meanwhile, the Malaysia Employers Federation revealed in a 2014 report that employers are losing a whopping RM2.9bil annually to pay staff who are replacing colleagues on medical leave. It was also reported that Malaysian employers were incurring more than RM1bil in losses annually because of workers who faked sickness to get sick leave or MCs.
What do you think? Is it a crime to submit false sick claims? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.
Source: The Star Online.
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