Materia Medica Malaysiana

Buyers of health plan in the lurch


PENANG: Fifty-eight people are worried that they may have been cheated by agents of Koperasi Serbaguna Pekerja-Pekerja (M) Bhd who sold them Kop MediCare medical cards.

Businessman Gopal Krishnan Samy, 48, from Taman Bersatu, Sungai Petani, said there are 38 people in his neighbourhood who bought the cards.

"Another 20 are new clients of the agent. All complained of the same problem," he said.

Gopal said two agents made door-to-door visits in his neighbourhood in November last year.

"They were selling Kop MediCare cards which offered hospitalisation benefits at selected specialist centres.

Gopal said he had paid RM2,120 in cash for his card and was told he would receive his card within 30 days.

"But until today, I have not seen it," he said, adding that queries to the agent had been futile.

He claimed that he had tried to call the Kop MediCare headquarters in Bandar Puchong Utama but was given the run-around as his calls were never put through to anyone in authority.

Frustrated, Gopal sought the help of friends in Kuala Lumpur to check out the office.

Fed up with the way things were going, Gopal said he approached the agent again and asked for a refund as he wanted to cancel his purchase "The agent asked for all the documents and I obliged but until today, I have not got a single sen back," he said.