Medical screening for maids, female work permit holders deferred to ease pressure on healthcare providers: MOM

SINGAPORE: The medical screening for foreign maids and female work permit holders, which is done every six months, will be deferred to “ease the patient load and pressure” faced by healthcare providers, in particular - general practitioner clinics and polyclinics, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday (Mar 2).

Employers who received the medical exam notice for the months of January and February 2022 for their domestic workers and female work permit holders will now have until Apr 30 to send their workers for the check-up, MOM said in a press release.

Those whose workers are due to receive their notices in March and April will be notified of the new medical exam date by post and email from end-April instead, the ministry added.

The medical exam screens for pregnancy and infectious diseases such as syphilis, HIV and tuberculosis.

MOM also said that workers sent to clinics for the medical exam at this time will not be turned away.

“However, we strongly encourage employers to defer the visit unless there is a need for medical attention,” it said.

Last month, the Ministry of Health introduced new measures to help ease the strain on the healthcare system, after Singapore reported a daily record of more than 26,000 COVID-19 cases on Feb 22.