Malaysia

Government responses

Continued access to goods and services

• [11 July 2020] 3,333 volunteers of the Home Help Services Programme of the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development would receive special assistance of RM 300 each. The one-off aid is part of the initiative under the National Economy Recovery Plan (Penjana). The Programme is a social support service for older persons and persons with disabilities, especially for those living alone or with family members who could not take care of them.

Accessible Public Information 

• [17 April 2020] Government communications on COVID-19 have been updated to include Malaysian sign language interpretation in response to the National Council of the Blind Malaysia’s advocacy.

Medical and quarantine policies and processes

• [24 March 2020] The Ministry of Health has issued guidelines on mental health and psychosocial support amid COVID-19. The guidelines include instructions for healthcare workers to use understandable ways of sharing messages with persons with intellectual, cognitive, and psychosocial disabilities.
• [3 July 2020] Persons with disabilities have been exempted from paying the COVID-19 detection test fees.
• [20 August 2020] The Ministry of Health has released a new list of Malaysian returnees exempted from paying for the COVID-19 quarantine, including those with disability cards issued under the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008.
• [24 February 2021] It has been announced that persons with disabilities would be prioritized in the second phase of the vaccine roll-out, commencing in April 2021.

Social protection and employment support

• [2 April 2020] The government has allocated a total of RM25 million in the form of food, healthcare items, and shelters to vulnerable groups, such as older persons and children in shelters, persons with disabilities, and homeless people.
• [11 June 2020] The Melaka Social Security Organization (SOCSO) has disbursed over RM10 million to social benefits, including Temporary Disability, Permanent Disability, and Dependent Benefits.
• [12 June 2020] The Department of Social Welfare (JKM) would transfer one-off RM 300 financial aid to 300,000 persons with disabilities and single mothers.
• [12 June 2020] The RM1.5 billion employee recruitment incentive programme would encourage employers to hire workers among persons with disabilities, especially during the pandemic.

Institutions and facilities 

• [30 May 2020] All long-term care facilities, including care homes for persons with disabilities, have undergone regular testing for COVID-19.

Last modified: 6 May 2021