GOMBAK, May 17 — Described as an “interesting outing”, it was an experience which left our reporters wondering how many people had tricked their employers on the pretext of being sick with fake medical chits (MC).

Klinik Rakyat sold MCs and had no qualms backdating them for a fee as discovered by our reporters recently. They had tried to see the doctor, but were told he was not around. Instead, they were attended to by a man and a woman who issued the MCs at the entrance of the clinic.

Fahirul N. Ramli and Danial Dzulkifly relate their experience. Here is what they have to say:

Reporter 1: Fahirul 

Advertisement

It was a clinic visit I will never forget.

Pretending to have a bad cough, I visited the clinic only to find it locked. However, the “Open” sign was hanging behind the tinted glass door, so I rang the doorbell.

An elderly woman opened the door and greeted me.

Advertisement

I asked if it was possible to obtain an MC. She asked if I was sick, to which I nodded. She then told me to wait at the entrance while she went back into the clinic.

I managed to peek inside, and it looked like a typical clinic. There was a small counter, although no one was seen manning it at the time.

Several minutes later, a man, in his late 40s, came to the entrance and asked me what I needed.

I told him I needed an MC.

“An MC for today?” he asked.

I requested an MC for the following day. He went back into the clinic and returned with an exercise book, requesting my full name, my company's name and the date of the MC.

“Since it is for tomorrow it's RM25. If the MC is for today, it'll be RM20,” he said.

I then asked if I could buy a bottle of cough syrup.

“No, we do not sell any medicine here. You can get some at the pharmacy over there,” he said, pointing to the left of the clinic.

He passed me the MC and I paid him RM25. He also said he was able to provide backdated MCs but they were only available for seven days and that too only for kes berat which implied serious ailments or visible injuries.

I left baffled, wondering how such a transaction could occur in the clinic's corridor in broad daylight.

Reporter 2: Danial

Following my colleague's experience in easily obtaining an MC, I decided to try my luck as well.

I visited the heavily grilled clinic at about noon on a weekday and rang the doorbell. An elderly woman, with an old notebook in hand, greeted me with a warm smile and asked: “Do you need an MC?”

I said yes but asked if the MC came with medicine as my employers would question me if I wasn't on medication. 

She replied: “No medicine here. We don't sell medicine.”

I asked if the doctor was in and if he or she could prescribe me some medicine.

She insisted the clinic did not have any medicine and suggested I head over to a nearby pharmacy instead.

Sensing that I had asked too many questions, she requested that I return to the clinic later in the evening.

I returned at 4.45pm and this time, was greeted by a man.

He provided me with the rates for the MCs.

“If it is today, then it's RM20. If for tomorrow, it is RM25.”

He explained that if I required backdated MCs for two days, it would cost me RM80 (RM40 for each day).

I requested an MC to be backdated a day earlier, to which he asked for my full name, my company's name and the date of the MC along with my ailment, which was registered as “high fever”.

He also requested to see my identity card and returned it to me minutes later.

I asked if I could see a doctor and if I could get some medication.

“No! None here. You just get it at the pharmacy. If your office calls, just say the doctor attended to you at 11am and confirmed you had high fever.”

Just like my colleague, I too was amazed how easy it was to purchase an MC without even stepping into the clinic. It was like buying a bus ticket!