'No problem hiring kidney patients'
New Straits Times Online, 10 Aug 2013
Wan Zaidon (left) giving instructions to Shiaw and Mohamad Ali.
PETALING JAYA: Most employers may not want to hire workers with serious medical conditions but Wan Zaidon Wan Hassan did not think twice about employing two kidney failure patients.
Wan Zaidon said both Shiaw Wei Luyn, 27, and Mohamad Ali Zakaria, 38, were very hardworking and one of them had even been promoted after joining the delivery and logistics company a year ago.
“They may not be able to carry heavy things or exert themselves physically, but they can still work and deserve the chance to provide for their families,” he said.
Shiaw, who was promoted to assistant supervisor in just six months, is the eldest son in his family while Mohamad Ali, who has end-stage renal failure, has two young children.
“There is a perception that hiring workers with medical conditions will be a burden to the company or that the workers will frequently go on medical leave.
“Although they need to go for regular dialysis sessions, their appointments do not clash with their working hours, so there is no problem at all,” said Wan Zaidon, 55.
Shiaw and Mohamad Ali always feel the need to do more, such as work extra hours, to “make up” for their condition, said Wan Zaidon.
The company employed Shiaw and Mohamad Ali after being approached by the Social Security Organisation (Socso) through its “Return To Work” programme.
Over 7,000 people, who had lost their earning capacity due to illness, accident or disability, have returned to work since the launch of the programme in 2007.
Socso deputy CEO for operations Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Aziz Mohd said employers who hired people like Shiaw and Mohamad Ali usually found them to be the most loyal and hardworking employees.
“This is because they know it is not easy for them to find employment and they want to prove themselves to their employers,” he said.
He added that while it had been difficult to find employment for such people at the beginning of the programme, many employers were now more receptive and prepared to hire them.
