Article written by Eunice Sng on Channel News Asia on the 21st of February 2024.
‘Like a death sentence’: Some migrant workers, maids with inadequate medical coverage hide conditions for fear of being sent home
The recent death of Bangladeshi worker Fazley Elahi who had colon cancer has raised questions on whether better insurance coverage is needed to support migrant workers in their darkest hour.
When foreign domestic worker Jhona Muestas, 40, discovered a lump in her left breast in 2019, she did not tell a soul because she was afraid she would be told to go back home to the Philippines.
“I am the breadwinner of the family and have four children,” she said. “Two of them are in college, so I need to support them. I was scared to lose my job.”
The secret was kept for five years until May last year when she was admitted to the National University Hospital after having a persistent fever. The doctors diagnosed her with stage four breast cancer.
Her employer, for whom she had worked for seven years, used up the maximum sum of Ms Muestas’ S$15,000 annual insurance claim limit after two weeks in hospital, where she did many scans and tests.
However, with the cancer spreading to her spine, Ms Muestas needed more money immediately to undergo surgery.
