Netizen says hospital bill for sick domestic helper astronomical

A netizen complained of the expensive medical bill she received after bringing her domestic helper to the hospital for a check up and treatment.

In a Facebook post on the page Complaint Singapore last Apr 18, the employer shared her experience.

According to the post, the employer hired a domestic helper three months ago in order to assist in household chores and take care of the baby at home.

The employer allegedly paid S$2500 to hire the domestic helper. The employer said she treated the maid decently and allowed her to “go out every  two weeks” because she was afraid the helper would be “sad and lonely.”

Two and a half months later, the helper showed signs of sickness. The employer claimed that their helper turned pale, could no longer get up and walk, and started vomiting blood.

“We offer [sic] to bring her to see doctor but she refused.”

Alarmed and concerned, the employer called an ambulance for their sick helper to get her the treatment she needed.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctors informed the employer that the maid needed an operation to save her life. According to the post, the maid was apparently “pregnant for 1 months [sic] and the baby died inside.”

Due to the nature of the operation, the hospital costs reached a staggering amount, much to the shock of the employer and her family. The final hospital bill amounted to S$13,629.

The employer wondered who would shoulder the the medical costs of their domestic helper. She added that they were not a wealthy family as others may think, and that they  “hire[d] [a] maid cos [sic] we want to earn more” as they had more time to work.

A concerned netizen commented that  she previously experienced the same incident with her domestic helper who also suffered an “ectopic pregnancy.” The netizen wrote, “There is really nothing you can do. Insurance doesn’t cover because they aren’t supposed to get pregnant here in the first place. Can only pay first, then get her to offset a bit each month with her salary.”

The Independent reached out to the employer, but she has yet to respond to our inquiry.

The hospital in question refused to provide details about the case due to confidentiality clauses for patients. However, a hospital representative suggested that “We encourage the family to speak directly with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and our hospital to work through any financial issues.”/TISG