Fewer than 20 commercial vehicle drivers have taken up a government-subsidised health screening programme since it was launched last month.
That is a surprisingly low number for an initiative designed to help drivers identify health problems that could affect their ability to stay safe on the road, especially when eligible drivers only have to pay RM30 for a comprehensive health examination.
The Pemandu Sihat dan Selamat (PSS) initiative was introduced under Budget 2026 to provide subsidised health screenings for eligible commercial vehicle drivers.
The government has already put in place a subsidised screening programme. The question now is whether enough eligible drivers are making use of it.
Yet despite the low cost and the importance of the issue, fewer than 20 commercial vehicle drivers had reportedly taken up the screening since the programme was launched last month.
That figure deserves attention.
A government programme can make health screening affordable, but ultimately it cannot force people to take part. The success of PSS will depend on whether eligible drivers see it as something worth doing, rather than another requirement to fulfil.
What exactly does the RM30 screening cover?
For eligible drivers, PSS is not simply a quick medical check to get a licence renewal form signed.
The programme is designed to identify health conditions that could affect a person's ability to drive safely.
The screening includes a general physical examination, vision and hearing checks, neurological and musculoskeletal assessments, cardiovascular and respiratory examinations, as well as screening for obstructive sleep apnoea.
Diabetes is also checked, with an HbA1c test required for drivers who have diabetes.
These are not insignificant checks.
Conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular problems can develop without obvious symptoms. Sleep apnoea, meanwhile, can contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness and reduced alertness, something that can be particularly dangerous for someone who spends hours behind the wheel.
The value of screening is not simply in finding that something is wrong.
It is in finding a potential problem before it becomes a bigger one.
That is why PSS should be seen as a practical road-safety measure, rather than simply another bureaucratic requirement for commercial drivers.
Who can take part?
The programme currently targets Malaysian citizens aged between 40 and 59 who are active PERKESO contributors and hold the relevant vocational licences.
This includes drivers with PSV E for buses, GDL E for rigid vehicles and GDL E for articulated vehicles who need to renew their vocational licences.
The government has also made the process more convenient by providing access through participating panel clinics, while the medical examination process has been integrated with the digital system used for vocational licence renewal.
In other words, much of the groundwork has already been done.
The screening is subsidised. Clinics are available. The process is being digitised.
The missing piece is participation.
Should health screening eventually cover more drivers?
The current PSS eligibility criteria are focused on Malaysian commercial vehicle drivers aged between 40 and 59.
As a starting point, there is a logic to focusing on this group, particularly as the risk of certain health conditions tends to increase with age.
But it also raises a broader policy question. Should subsidised health screening eventually be made available to more drivers?
One possibility would be to gradually expand the programme beyond the current 40–59 age bracket. Another could be to introduce different levels of screening based on age, occupation or health risk.
Eventually, the government could also consider whether some form of subsidised basic health screening should be made available to a wider group of drivers, including private motorists.
The objective should not be to create another burden for drivers.
It should be to make preventive healthcare more accessible to people whose health can have consequences on the road.
Age should be one factor in determining risk, but it does not tell the whole story.
For now, however, PSS has a clearly defined target group, and the immediate priority should be getting eligible commercial drivers to use it.
Why aren't more drivers signing up?
This is where the government and industry need to look beyond simply telling drivers to go for screening.
The reasons for the low uptake may not be straightforward.
For some commercial drivers, time is money. Taking time off the road for a medical examination could mean losing income, particularly for those whose earnings depend directly on how much they drive.
There may also be concerns about what a medical examination could reveal.
A driver who discovers that he has diabetes, high blood pressure or another condition may immediately worry about whether he can continue working.
These concerns need to be addressed through better communication.
A health screening should not be presented as a test that exists to punish drivers or automatically take them off the road.
Its value is in early detection. Finding a condition gives someone the opportunity to seek treatment, make appropriate changes and get medical advice about how to manage it.
Ignoring the condition does not make it disappear.
If anything, it leaves drivers operating without knowing whether an underlying health problem could eventually affect them while they are on the road.
This is where employers and the industry also have a responsibility.
If drivers are worried about losing income or work time, employers should look at ways to make screening easier to attend. If drivers are worried about what happens after a condition is detected, they need clear information about treatment, follow-up and their ability to continue working safely where medically appropriate.
Health should be part of the definition of a safe driver
We tend to think about a “safe driver” as someone who follows speed limits, signals before changing lanes, does not drive recklessly and obeys traffic rules.
All of that is important.
But there is another question we should be asking, is the driver healthy enough to drive safely?
For professional drivers, this becomes even more important.
They may spend eight, 10 or more hours driving. They may work irregular shifts. They may have limited opportunities for exercise and proper meals. Fatigue can build up, while health problems that might otherwise be manageable can go unchecked.
The responsibility therefore should not fall entirely on the individual driver.
Employers can play a role by encouraging or facilitating health screenings. Industry associations can help educate drivers about the programme. The government can take the campaign directly to the places where drivers spend their time, such as bus depots, logistics hubs and highway rest areas.
If the problem is that drivers cannot afford to lose time from work, screening opportunities should be made as convenient as possible around their working schedules.
If the problem is awareness, the campaign needs to reach drivers where they actually are.
And if the concern is what happens after a health problem is detected, there needs to be clearer communication about what drivers can do next.
The programme needs drivers to take ownership too
Ultimately, however, no amount of government funding can replace personal responsibility.
The PSS programme brings the cost of a comprehensive health examination down to RM30 for eligible commercial vehicle drivers.
That is an opportunity worth taking.
For someone whose livelihood depends on driving, knowing more about their own health should be considered part of protecting that livelihood, not a threat to it.
And for someone responsible for carrying passengers or transporting goods alongside other road users, maintaining their health is also part of their professional responsibility.
Malaysia has invested in a programme that recognises the connection between driver health and road safety.
Now it needs people to use it.
The fewer-than-20 uptake figure should therefore be treated as a wake-up call, not simply another statistic.
The government needs to intensify its outreach. Employers and industry groups need to make participation easier. And eligible drivers need to recognise that a health screening is not something to put off until they feel unwell.
If PSS can get more commercial drivers to take their health seriously, it could become more than a licensing-related initiative. It could become part of a broader shift in how Malaysia thinks about road safety.
Because being a safe driver is not only about knowing how to control a vehicle.
It is also about knowing whether you are fit to be behind the wheel in the first place.