RM7m subsidy to screen foreign construction workers for Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry, through the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), yesterday announced a RM7 million subsidy to screen foreign construction workers for Covid-19.

Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the subsidy was an initiative by the ministry to ease the financial burden of local industry players and to encourage them to send their foreign workers for Covid-19 screening to curb the spread of the virus.

He said the subsidy of RM50 per person was open to foreign workers registered with CIDB.

“The screening will be managed by CIDB Holdings Sdn Bhd through its list of panel clinics for foreign construction workers with the Construction Personnel Card Registration, or the ‘Green Card’.

“The initiative will be conducted at construction sites for applications involving more than 30 workers or drive-through using the RTK Antigen method.”

He said he hoped the initiative would encourage unregistered workers to register with the CIDB.

“I want to remind construction site operators to ensure their foreign construction workers undergo screening and are free from Covid-19 before they are allowed to resume operations.”

CIDB chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad ‘Asri Abdul Hamid said 140,000 foreign construction workers had a Green Card.

“One of the conditions for the subsidy is that the foreign construction workers must have a Green Card. That is why we hope more construction companies will register their foreign workers following the implementation of the subsidy programme.”

Ahmad ‘Asri said if response to the programme was encouraging, CIDB would seek more allocations to allow more construction companies and their foreign workers to benefit from the initiative.

Registration for the Covid-19 screening can be made at admin.cswms.com.my/

Information on standard operating procedures and guidelines for the construction industry are available at CIDB’s portal at www.cidb.gov.my/ms/pkp-kebenaran-beroperasi or through its official group on the Telegram app, accessible at t.me/cidbymy