ELIGIBLE citizens should register and enjoy the benefits under the Perlindungan Tenang Voucher (PTV) Programme, says state executive councillor for non-Islamic Religious Affairs and Social Development Chong Eng.
She said the voucher scheme could help reduce the burden or give some form of relief to the family should any untoward incident happens to the insurance policy holder.
“In the event of accidents or sudden death, the compensation received by the family from the insurance company will be able to help them get on with life.
“Imagine if they lost the only breadwinner in the family. Wouldn’t this hamper their daily lives?” Chong Eng said during a virtual press conference on ‘Perlindungan Tenang Voucher’ Programme today.
She said the state government welcomes the programme that was initiated by Bank Negara Malaysia in 2017 and would work with the Federal Government to promote the programme’s benefits to all sections of the community.
The PTV Programme was officially launched on Sept 30 this year, offering social protection to about 8.4 million eligible Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) recipients aged 18 to 60 years.
Under Budget 2021, the Federal Government had announced a subsidy of RM50 for the BPR recipients to purchase the Perlindungan Tenang protection plan from participating licensed insurers and takaful operators in the country.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has brought various unexpected challenges to the people. Many B40 families have also lost their jobs during the movement control order to curb the spread of the infection.
“In such a situation, I am sure taking up insurance policy is not a priority for them.
“Hence, I would like to call on the eligible recipients to take the opportunity and redeem the vouchers offered by the Government to subscribe to insurance to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Chong Eng added.
She said there are several agencies or insurance companies appointed for the programme such as AIA, Allianz, Etiqa, Great Eastern, Hong Leong Assurance, MCIS Life (represented by Merchantrade), Prudential, Takaful Ikhlas and many more.
For those who want to know if they are eligible to redeem the RM50 voucher, please visit www.myptv.my.
For those who want to get a list of insurance companies that offer the voucher, please visit mycoverage.my/perlindungan_tenang/
Also joining in the Zoom meeting were Merchantrade’s head of Insurance Department of Mlnsure Kueh Hong Ling, head of Northern Region Jerry Loo and Mlnsure Northern sales executive Milly Chiang.
Merchantrade has also opened a kiosk on the third floor in Komtar to help the public know more about the programme as well as to encourage them to use the RM50 voucher to redeem a one-year protection plan.
Kuek thanked the Penang state government for supporting the programme so that more BPR recipients could be reached and also the Federal Government for its initiative to expand its social safety net, especially among the B40 and low-income categories.
The life policy, she said, covers death due to any cause, including Covid-19, for an insured amount of RM20,000 for one year.
Kuek said the payment amount would be doubled to RM40,000 for certain illnesses like dengue, chikungunya, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, bird flu or Zika.
Loo said besides the kiosk in Komtar, those interested can also visit any of their six Merchantrade branches in Penang, namely Geogetown, Komtar, Bayan Lepas, Bukit Jambul, and Bukit Mertajam or visit their website https://mtradeasia.com/insure/ptvms/ for more info.
Loo added that Merchantrade’s policy offers simple registration process, no waiting time, no medical examination required and comes with 24-hour worldwide coverage.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud