The subject of paying for medical treatment needed by foreign workers came up in a letter by a Jeffrey Law published by the Straits Times in its online edition on March 14, 2012.  Below it is the reply by the Ministry of Manpower, followed by a letter by Debbie Fordyce, a member of TWC2’s executive committee. There are two versions of Debbie’s letter here. The first is as edited and published by the Straits Times and the second is the original as written by her.

Notably, these sentences from the original were left out of the edited verion: “TWC2 has been alerting MOM to these cases for several years, and even then enforcement has not noticeably improved. Meetings between recalcitrant employers and MOM officers don’t necessarily result in compliance with the regulations.”

The gist of the exchange can be summarised thus: Jeffrey Law observed that in practice, foreign workers end up having to pay for their own medical treatment. MOM then replied, saying the law is that employers should pay, and the public can inform MOM if they see cases where they don’t. TWC2 then pointed out that we’ve been informing them countless times and yet very little is done.

—

Straits Times Forum Online
March 14, 2012:

Offer basic medical care to foreign workers

While it is good to know that foreign workers can enjoy affordable medical care (‘Medical care and listening ear for $5’; Monday), it is apparent that their employers do not provide them with basic medical benefits.

I am saddened that lowly paid foreign workers have to bear the cost of visiting doctors when they are ill, and for this reason, many prefer to work despite being sick.

Also, workers who are medically unfit may get hurt on the job.

Not long ago, I was at a private clinic when a Bangladeshi worker registered at the reception counter to consult the doctor for back pain. What saddened me was when a staff member asked the worker if he had $50 with him; she wanted to ensure that he could afford the fee.

Our neighbourhood sweeper works long hours every day, rain or shine, and he continues to do so even when he is not feeling well.

It would be good if such workers are entitled to medical care provided by their bosses.

Jeffrey Law

—

Straits Times Forum Online
March 23, 2012

Bosses must pay foreign workers’ medical bills

We thank Mr Jeffrey Law for his letter (“Offer basic medical care to foreign workers, 14 March 2012″).

2.   Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, employers are responsible for and must bear the costs of the provision of any necessary medical treatment that the worker requires.

3.   To assist employers in discharging their responsibility of bearing the medical expenses of their S Pass and Work Permit holders (including Foreign Domestic Workers), all employers are required to purchase and maintain medical insurance coverage of at least $15,000 per year for the worker’s inpatient care and day surgery.

4.   The medical insurance provides cover for the foreign workers’ medical expenses, including hospital bills arising from treatment for causes that may not be work-related. The coverage was set at the said amount to keep premiums affordable for employers, while providing sufficient coverage for the majority of the foreign workers’ hospitalisation bills.

5.   If you know of employers who do not take responsibility for their foreign workers’ medical expenses, you should inform MOM as soon as possible at [email protected]. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Farah Abdul Rahim (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Manpower

—

Straits Times Forum Online
April 3, 2012

Better enforcement needed in helping injured foreign workers

THE Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) reply (‘Bosses must pay foreign workers’ medical bills’; March 23), explaining that the law requires employers to be responsible for and bear the costs of any necessary medical treatment of their workers, was gratifying.

By publicising this information, MOM is stating what is clearly required of the employer, even though this is neither practised by many employers, nor understood by workers or hospitals, and requires greater enforcement.

Much of our work involves assisting male workers who require medical treatment for workplace injuries. We dealt with more than 800 injured men last year, many of whose injuries were not acknowledged by their employers, and not diagnosed or treated due to lack of cooperation from the employers.

Most of the men who seek our help are those with more serious injuries that result in some degree of permanent incapacitation.

They are convinced that they must pay for the medical treatment from their own pockets, even though their last salary payments and their medical leave wages are often withheld until the compensation is released.

The men who seek assistance from Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) spend about six months undergoing treatment, rehabilitation and waiting for compensation.

Some 17 per cent must wait for more than a year, during which time they receive no support from their employers.

Most of them require intervention to persuade the employer to produce the Letter of Guarantee that hospitals ask for prior to treatment, or to pay the medical bills.

A stronger commitment from MOM is needed to enforce this regulation, possibly with financial penalties or cancellation of new work permit applications for non-compliance.

We recommend that MOM deal directly with hospitals and clinics to ensure that the payment for medical treatment is sought from the employer rather than the patient.

Employers understandably seek to reduce costs, and though the financial impact of a serious injury can be difficult for the employer, it is not as devastating as the pain and loss of livelihood to the worker.

Deborah Fordyce (Ms)
Executive committee member
Transient Workers Count Too

—

Letter to the Editor, Straits Times Forum
March 30, 2012

I was pleased to see the letter from Farah Abdul Rahim in the ST Online Forum last week explaining that under the Employment Act, employers are responsible for and must bear the cost of any necessary medical treatment of their workers. By publicizing this information, MOM is stating what is clearly required of the employer, even though this is not being practiced by many employers, nor understood by workers or hospitals, and certainly requires greater enforcement by MOM.

Much of our work at TWC2 involves assisting male workers who require medical treatment for workplace injuries. We dealt with more than 800 injured men last year, many of whose whose injuries are not acknowledged by the employer, and not diagnosed or treated due to lack of cooperation from the employer. Most of the men who seek our help are those with more serious injuries that result in some degree of permanent incapacity. They are convinced that they must pay for the medical treatment from their own pocket, even though their last salary payment and their medical leave wages is often withheld until the compensation is released. The men that seek assistance from TWC2 spend about six months undergoing treatment, rehabilitation, and waiting for compensation. About 17% need to wait more than one year. During this time they receive no support from the employer, and most require intervention to persuade the employer to produce the Letter of Guarantee that hospitals ask for prior to treatment or pay the medical bills.

TWC2 has been alerting MOM to these cases for several years, and even then enforcement has not noticeably improved. Meetings between recalcitrant employers and MOM officers don’t necessarily result in compliance with the regulations.

A stronger commitment from MOM is needed to enforce this regulation, possibly with financial penalties or cancellation of new work permit applications for non-compliance. We recommend that MOM deal directly with hospitals and clinics to ensure that the payment for medical treatment is sought from the employer rather than the patient. Employers understandably seek to reduce costs, and though the financial impact of a serious injury can be difficult for the employer, it’s not as devastating as the pain and incapacity loss of livelihood to the worker.

Deborah Fordyce
TWC2 Exco Member

—

 

 

TWC2’s edited letter had two readers’ comments on the Straits Times website. The first, by someone with the user name ganeshsk said:

Maybe this where the they should get the government scholars to go down to the customer servce department (recent news  of such  practiced)  and actually listen to problem at the frontline instead of publishing media statements onr their websites. on who who and who should be responsible.Yes governmnet should co fund the medical bills of these foreign workers with the levies collected. That should be MOM’s corporate responsibility.

The second comment was by annewongholloway:

From my limited experience in dealing with government entities, all I can say is that they ‘talk down’ to citizens and then shirk from getting involved when it suits them. The levies collected from workers and FDWs should not go into their already swollen coffers, they should go into a fund for workers and FDWs – to help those with bad employers or are otherwise in dire straits. But that would involve work, not just legislation and that could be why they prefer to legislate than get involved.

It appears that TWC2’s point got through.