Malaysia's Immigration Department has launched a biometric fingerprint identification system to be used in medical examinations for foreign workers.Under the system, which will be implemented by October, those undergoing medical check-ups will have to go through biometric identification to verify and cross-check their identities with the Malaysian Immigration System (myIMMs).Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said this week that those who are caught for identity fraud, including employers, would be brought to court and charged under the Immigration Act.Ali said the move was necessary to curb the entry of communicable diseases into the country.”When foreign workers enter the country, their biometrics will be scanned into the system. This new system provides another layer in terms of the biometric identification system.”So those whose identity is found to be a fraud, or are not registered workers, the medical check-up will not take place, and we will take action against the employer as well as those who acted as the employee.”Because we have found that there have been 'several percentages' of cases of identity fraud in the medical check-ups,” he told reporters after launching the fingerprint system, here, today.It is believed that some employers resorted to sending other individuals to replace their foreign workers who are believed to be medically unfit, in order to pass the medical examinations.The system will be placed at all Foreign Workers' Medical Examination Monitoring Agency (Fomema) panel clinics and X-ray centres nationwide.According to Mustafar, a total of 407,890 medical examinations have been conducted on foreign workers since the beginning of the year up to June 30.
Malaysia launches biometrics system for foreign workers
