KOTA KINABALU: An undocumented man was sentenced to two years in jail for using another person’s identification card to get discounted medical treatment at a government hospital here.
Husin Jogo, 51, pleaded guilty to the offence before Magistrate Jessica Ombou Kakayun on Thursday (June 15).
She ordered that Husin be sentenced to 24 months’ jail from the date of his arrest and instructed him to be referred to the Immigration Department for further action after the completion of his imprisonment.
According to the facts of the case, Husin had used another man’s MyKad to get treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital II for breathing difficulties at around 1.30pm on May 29.
A nurse who knew the name on the MyKad then contacted the owner of the document and informed the latter that his MyKad was being used by someone else.
Husin was nabbed on the spot after hospital authorities and the MyKad owner alerted police.
In asking for leniency in his sentencing, Husin had said that he got the MyKad from a friend and that he only wanted to use it to get cheap medical fees from the hospital.
He said he has a family to care for and pleaded for a lighter sentence.
The magistrate said this is a serious offence that could jeopardise the safety of the nation and strip a genuine citizen of their rights as Malaysians.
A Malaysian only needs to pay RM1 for a general checkup and outpatient treatment with medication while foreigners are charged differently.
