KUALA LUMPUR: Commercial and public transport drivers aged 40 to 59 will be able to undergo subsidised health screenings for RM30 under the Healthy and Safe Drivers Programme (PPS), starting tomorrow.
The programme covers holders of bus and lorry vocational driving licences who are active contributors to the Social Security Organisation’s (Perkeso) employment injury or self-employed social security schemes.
Eligible drivers will pay RM30 for a health screening that normally costs RM80 to RM100. The remaining cost will be covered by the government and Perkeso.
The screening includes physical examinations, eyesight and hearing tests, sleep apnea screening, and cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal assessments, as well as HbA1c tests for drivers with diabetes.
Human resources minister R Ramanan said health conditions such as fatigue, sleep disorders, high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes and vision problems could reduce a driver’s alertness and increase the risk of accidents.
“These screenings are not meant to burden drivers but to detect any health problems at an early stage so that treatment and intervention can be carried out immediately,” he said at the launch of the programme at the road transport department’s office here today.
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook, who was also present, said a driver’s health should be viewed as a public safety issue rather than solely a person’s responsibility.
“When a driver is unwell, excessively fatigued or has an undetected medical condition, the risk is borne not only by the driver, but also by passengers, other road users and society as a whole,” he said.
Loke said the programme does not introduce a new requirement for commercial drivers, pointing out that health screenings have long been mandatory for vocational licence renewals.
Instead, he said medical reports will now be integrated digitally into JPJ’s MySikap system, replacing the previous practice of submitting physical forms.
“This will reduce bureaucracy, speed up the process for drivers and help government agencies monitor it more effectively,” he said.
According to Perkeso, worker fatalities in road accidents rose 22.3% from 94 deaths in 2024 to 115 in 2025. Lorry drivers recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 62 cases, or 21% of the total.
The programme will benefit at least 30,000 drivers during its initial six-month implementation period from July to December. It is backed by a RM12.4 million allocation, comprising RM7 million from Perkeso and RM5.4 million from the finance ministry.
Loke said the Malaysian Medical Association had identified 500 clinics nationwide, with the government targeting about 3,000 panel clinics so drivers could undergo screenings more easily wherever they are.
Separately, Loke said the frequency of LRT3 services would be reviewed after concerns were raised over the waiting time of around eight minutes.
He said trains currently run at intervals of 7.5 minutes during peak hours, and the ministry would monitor ridership over the next month before deciding whether to increase service frequency.
“If ridership increases, especially during busy periods, we will ask Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to review the schedule,” he said.
The Shah Alam LRT Line connects Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya to Johan Setia in Klang.
