KUALA LUMPUR – Private general practitioners (GPs) are “feeling cheated” after learning that the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp) had “mismanaged” the levies it had collected from businesses, according to the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
MMA president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz also said the levies collected are “hard earned income from businesses,” which have been entrusted to HRD Corp to develop talent.
“In 2022, the MMA had written to HRD Corp seeking clarification on the requirement for private GPs to pay the levy and we received a reply confirming the requirement. We are now deeply disappointed to learn that the collected levies paid by businesses have been mismanaged.
“Private GPs now feel cheated upon hearing about the issue. There are around 11,000 registered private GP clinics nationwide. About 80% of private GPs are solo practitioners,” she said in a statement today.
“Red flags on mismanagement at HRD Corp were already raised in 2018. With four changes in government since then and now the findings from the audit, the people, in particular business owners who pay the levy, will want answers from the government.”
Azizan added that it is unfair for businesses to continue making payments to HRD Corp pending a full investigation to establish full accountability.
Earlier today, Human Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Khairul Dzaimee Daud and HRD Corp chief executive officer Datuk Shahul Dawood submitted a report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at their headquarters in Putrajaya regarding issues highlighted in the Auditor-General’s Report, which was tabled in Parliament yesterday.
In the report handed over to the graft busters, Khairul stated that the submission is in line with the auditor-general’s recommendation for the ministry to refer the audit findings to the relevant enforcement agencies.
Following this, Khairul held a press conference, where he confirmed that no officers linked to HRD Corp have been suspended following the release of the Auditor-General’s Report 2/2024, which highlighted issues with the government-linked entity.
He said such suspensions are unnecessary as the concerns raised in the report are currently being reviewed by the MACC.
According to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee report, HRD Corp used a total of RM3.77 billion in levies collected from employers for training development programmes to make investments worth RM3.84 billion at market value as of March 2024.
Additionally, the corporation failed to report its investment activities to its board of directors, and its investment panel has not included a representative from Bank Negara Malaysia since 2017, a violation of the Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Bhd Act 2001. – July 5, 2024