The following letter is published in the Straits Times on 18 Feb 2012.
LAST month, my siblings and I hired a Filipino maid to look after our elderly mother but after less than a month, she fell ill. The doctor discovered that she was suffering from severe diabetes and directed us to admit her to the accident and emergency department of a hospital, or let her rest at home.
The maid agency shrugged off responsibility, saying diabetes was not included in the mandatory pre-employment medical examination for maids. While an employer must bear the medical costs when a maid falls ill, mine had the condition before she began to work for us. Shouldn't an agency ensure that a maid comes to an employer healthy and able to work?
The agency then told me that the maid must bear the cost of her illness, and now the maid wants to go home, which is a pity as she is hard-working and responsible and cared for my mother well.
Apart from the worry over the absence of a caregiver while we wait for a new maid, why must we pay the maid levy while waiting for her repatriation? Can't the levy be waived and an employer exempted from being blacklisted in such cases?
Who is responsible for the medical costs and shouldn't diabetes be included in the pre-employment medical examination?
Lydia Wong (Madam)
Tamarind's comments:
According to MOM :
"The medical examination screens the FDW for four types of infectious diseases (Tuberculosis, HIV, Syphilis and Malaria) that are of public health concern. It also serves to check that the FDW is generally fit to work at the point of examination. However, even if the FDW passes the medical examination, it does not mean that she is free from all illnesses. Employers with specific concerns may wish to send the FDW for other tests as they deem appropriate." (Source)
Employers should be aware that many other serious illness like diabetes, Hepatitis, mental illness, etc are not included in the medical examination. My maid used to work for an employer who is a doctor. She told me that she had to take many extra tests, ordered by her ex-employer, before she could start work. The extra tests are expensive, but at least employers can have a peace of mind, especially if the maid is required to take care of babies and children.
On 24 Feb 2012, MOM replied to the letter as follows :
"MADAM Lydia Wong ("Maid's diabetes sparks cost concerns"; last Saturday) has cause for complaint, having hired a maid in good faith only to find that severe diabetes rendered her unable to work after less than a month.
When a worker is incapacitated, it makes sense that an employer should not have to pay the levy. Madam Wong's comment that an agency should ensure that a maid is healthy enough to work before she is placed is fair.
The agency may well have done the legal minimum, but decent service means going further, and making sure that reasonable customer requirements are met; one of which is to ensure that a maid can do the job. However, there are reasons why it might be problematic to treat diabetes as one of the conditions to be checked in the pre-employment medical examination.
Most diabetics cope well. Their condition is a personal nuisance but does not interfere with their work. It would be unfair if this relatively common condition is ruled as an obstacle to employment.
In the case of Madam Wong's maid, it would seem that it was the severity of her diabetes that was the problem. "
17 comments:
An experience recently to share. Last year, my parents maid was diagnose with severe diabetics and amost got herself blind. Very frequently, she has to visit the hosptial, making life very difficult for my parents as there is a centurion at home that need her.The total medical bill was $7K+ and as the insurance was cap at $5K so the excess have to be covered by my parents. Also please bear in mind, not every hospital items are claimable (I would say only 70~80% are claimable). This year, she was again diagnose with abnormally high potassium level, meaning her heart can stop anytime. The hospital insist that she stay in hospital for 7 day for observation, analysis and treatment. However this time, the quotation was 7K treatment. I had refused to ward her as the medical bills are way too high. The hospital has also warn that the employer bear full responsibility for her cost first. Futher more, this is just 1 treatment and the ilness is not curable. At anytime if her potattium leve is high again, she may need to be warded in again. I had no choice but to send her home after 2 day. Now I am back to the peafcul life again.
MOM replied to the letter as follows :
"MADAM Lydia Wong ("Maid's diabetes sparks cost concerns"; last Saturday) has cause for complaint, having hired a maid in good faith only to find that severe diabetes rendered her unable to work after less than a month.
When a worker is incapacitated, it makes sense that an employer should not have to pay the levy. Madam Wong's comment that an agency should ensure that a maid is healthy enough to work before she is placed is fair.
The agency may well have done the legal minimum, but decent service means going further, and making sure that reasonable customer requirements are met; one of which is to ensure that a maid can do the job. However, there are reasons why it might be problematic to treat diabetes as one of the conditions to be checked in the pre-employment medical examination.
Most diabetics cope well. Their condition is a personal nuisance but does not interfere with their work. It would be unfair if this relatively common condition is ruled as an obstacle to employment.
In the case of Madam Wong's maid, it would seem that it was the severity of her diabetes that was the problem. "
Ivan,
Thank you very much for sharing about how serious diabetes can be. It is not fair for the employer to shoulder the burden. Even if the employer sends the maid away, the employer will have to pay for new agency fees, new maid loan, new insurance, etc to employ a new maid. It is not fair for the employer to lose money.
I have posted MOM's reply to the letter. MOM expects the maid agency to take the responsibility of providing maids who are fit to work. However, testing for diabetes, Hep A/B, etc cost money. No agency will want to incur extra costs, since all maid agencies want to maximize their profits.
My advise is for employers to make sure that their maids take the extra tests before they start work. This is a way to minimize losses.
I know diabetic people. It is not as simple as MOM says. When MOM says it is a personal inconvenience, it is not true for a maid.The fact is that if a diabetic is working in a desk bound job, this might stand true. However, a diabetic needs to watch her diet, might not be able to perform certain manual tasks and some even have to take insulin jabs every so often. A diabetic person normally has a host of other physical problems together due to diabetics.
All this would eventually inconvenienced the employer. Not to mention that if the maid does not take care of herself, she could become a serious case of diabetic and like in te case mentioned by Ivan, needs hospitalization.
MOM needs to wake up to the fact that because of its policies, a employer is responsible and would be affected whatever happens to the
maid. Or maybe MOM is aware and just wants to take the levy and not do the work.
Hi Tamarind, I will like to provide my maid's name to be updated here so that other future employers will not suffer at her hand. Kindly advise me how to email. At Same time I will like to check with you if the new maid which I got is in th black list. Thank you.
Hi,
You can email me at frostyapple@gmail.com.
My maid was diagnosed diabetes today. She was a transfer maid who has worked for a year + but scared to inform employers she has diabetes. She received medications in Philippines but after she came to Singapore, she stopped. It's 2 years + she's here without medication. That scared the shxx out of me.
My struggle is that she's the best help I can get. I had experienced 3 in total and she's the best. After a year, she has become part of family. I treat her as my family. She has changed many employers and she is happy to work for my family.
Expect hiding her diabetes, she's honest and hard working. Mature and simple. She's not the one that die die must have bf kind of pinoy. My previous two pinoy couldn't live without hand phones and bf that caused lots of other issues during their employments. My current maid has good work performance with devotion to my family as well. Today I was shocked she has this serious health issue. It sadened me but her diabetes can be cope with medication, fine with me. It's a good chance for her to receive good medication in SG. Once in her life.
If her diabetes are still controllable by the medication, I will try to help her till she finishes her contract as her wished. It's so hard to find work in Philippines. She told me she has two young kids and she's only 29. If I send her back is to send her to die. No money for doctors to cope with diabetes. Together with her kids. Her family is very poor.
Who can guarantee next maid is better?
I hope her diabetes aren't that serious yet. I will help her get through this.
That's generous of you. Good helper deserves kindness from the employer. Both of you benefit. :)
I'm the employer posted on May 31. I have discovered my maid diabetes. Would like to post an update.
She's tried to hide her illness until she had urine and kidney infection that I urgently took the doctor, she then confessed about her diabetes since 18 years old. She wasn't seriously controlling her blood sugar. The medication was on and off in Philippines.
The blood test result showed her blood sugar was in the unacceptable level. The highest is 15 , she got 13. The doctor said it's very serious, because she's been 11 years not controlling her blood sugar, that's why hit so high, unfortunately, time has taken it's toll and complications will start to come out one by one. She will be weaker in her immune system. It's a good idea to send her home, which is what scared her the most as it's very hard to find work in Philippines.
It's been almost a month and it has been a very hard decision for me to choose between helping her by taking her health under my full responsibilities and sending her home.
Quote:
"It's been almost a month and it has been a very hard decision for me to choose between helping her by taking her health under my full responsibilities and sending her home."
You are certainly very kind and generous. Your maid is very fortunate to have an employer like you.
Just an update. I'm the employer whose maid has diabetes. The doctor is observing how the medicine works on her because she's having side effect. The doctor has changed the medicine but it seems there's always different side effects. The first type of medicines caused her vomiting and the second one makes her hungry fast and if she doesn't eat immediately, she starts trembling.
Now she eats 5 meals a day , so the trembling side effect stopped. I also told her that she needs to rest when she feels dizzy or tired.
What concerned me the most is she is getting weaker and probably slower because having headache, dizziness due to diabetes.
Doctor told me she's unfitted for manual work. So I'm very struggling now.
hose maid detected diabetes. I have done the best I can to help her with medication but time has taken its toll, she hid her illness for too long and the diabetes are having an impact on every part of her body. She falls ill easily due to weak immune system. Her menstruation has problem, can't come smoothly with enough days, and she always feels headache. Infections attack her often. Easy to catch a cold but difficult to recover. I have been paying her full medication cost. But it made her irresponsible. Because as soon she feels unwell, she complained to me as if it's my fault. It made her irresponsible with her own health issues. And I noticed she's taking sweet drinks , milk tea and instant coffee packs I told her to drink chicken/fish soup instead, but she's lazy to cook for herself. She likes coffee, milk tea, because easy to prepare. She is not serious about her own health issue.
Hi all, sorry to update everyone that my diabetic maid is flying home tomorrow.
As an employer, I have done everything I can. Since May 31. My maid has detected serious diabetes and taken daily oral medication.
We follow doctor's advice and take her to do monthly check. Today was the third time doctor visit.
Everyone was looking forward to seeing a drop in her blood sugar level. Instead of dropping, it rocketed twice higher and went off the chart.
We were very sad to accept that her diabetes got worsened even with daily oral medication. We had done all the necessary blood tests at the first visit.
There's nothing else the doctor could do, 11 years diabetes, the medication started too late.
I can go furthur buying her daily insulin shot but the respomsibilities are huge.
We clearly knew she's unfit to work and can just go coma at anytime.
The risk is too big to keep her at home.
We had no choice but to repatriate her ASAP. The last thing I can help is give her more money and 1 extra month medication to go home.
Reposting this comment by another employer:
"I'm the employer whose maid detected serious diabetes. I'm sending her home on 12 August.
I would place a notice here because she told me after she goes home to low down her blood sugar level, she wants to come back to Singapore work as a maid again.
From 31 of May, the doctor had given her daily medicine to low down her blood sugar but till 11 Aug. Instead of lowing down, it rocketed double high. If her blood sugar would low down just a bit, I would have kept her.
I don't mean she's not a good maid. My family has no young kids, nor old parents. Her duties were house cleaning and two dogs. She's good in these two areas because she'd worked for me a year and 5 months with good training.
However,
She did come to my family, pretending she had no illness in the interview, hiding her 11 year diabetes.
It's possible she will come back and lie about her diabetes again.
However, if you want to avoid unhealthy maid like her, those are things to look out:
She is Filipino. 30 years old. Pay attention to maid's eyes. If the white colour parts are very yellowish, she's having the diabetic eyes.
There's an obvious black spot in her left eyes.
I'm not saying you should or should not employ her. But no employer wants to get cheated by maids. No matter for what reason.
There's a need to give true information given that any diabetes medication and treatments aren't covered by health insurance in Singapore for FDW. It's all on the employer's cost.
"
My diabetes maid went home last Sunday. She went to the doctor in Philippines. We talked on the phone and she told me the medication for diabetes is free - good news.
Hi Tamarind
Your blog is very useful. I am employing a maid and she is coming to S'pore very soon. The extra medical examination can be done only when the maid arrived in S'pore. Will it be too late if we found out she has other diseas?
Need your advise on this.
Thank you.
Quote:
"Your blog is very useful. I am employing a maid and she is coming to S'pore very soon. The extra medical examination can be done only when the maid arrived in S'pore. Will it be too late if we found out she has other diseas?
Need your advise on this.
Thank you."
Hi,
You can still cancel her work permit and send her home. However, you will lose the maid agency and maid loan. If she has other diseases which are not included in the standard medical examination, then she might pass the examination. The agency will not refund you.
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