When I Was Young

From Voices

Today • Tuesday • June 24, 2008

Part of foreign workers’ levies can be used to subsidise their healthcare

Letter from DR TAN CHEK WEE

RECENTLY, I passed two foreign workers in my HDB estate as they were removing the garbage from a rubbish chute bin into a bin in the dumpster. They were using their bare hands.

Despite the huge amount of plastic bags being dispensed in supermarkets, a lot of rubbish were not secured in bags but discarded “raw”; there were diapers, bottles, cans and leftover food. One of the workers told me that chutes overflow over the weekends and on public holidays, and that he and his colleague would have to do two rounds to clear the garbage. He also said he had been hit on the head by objects thrown from upstairs.

Some years ago, such workers on work permits were “blamed” for the long queues in polyclinics and their healthcare subsidy was removed. However, the queues at polyclinics have not abated but the subsidy for these low-income work permit workers has not been restored. I wonder how many of these workers will seek attention from general practitioners as the cost would be much higher then, and they do fear being “penalised” by their employers and risk being sent home or not have their work permit renewed.

Although there are rules and regulations in place to protect work permit holders, they are set at a minimal standard, with the hope that employers will provide beyond that.

In reality, how many employers care beyond profit to provide more than what the law stipulates? It is not uncommon to see foreign workers drilling on the road with no ear protection and trimming branches of trees with no safety belts.

Let’s face it. We are dependent on foreign workers for many essential tasks. Part of the levies imposed in the employment of such foreign workers can be used to subsidise their healthcare and perhaps even as ex gratia payment to workers who decide to return home for good. This is how we, as a nation, can show our gratitude.

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I say, this is also true in other countries, where each human worker has to have the proper compensation, insurance and health benefits. What do you say?