Generally, when a foreign domestic worker (FDW) is hired into a household, things can go two ways.
They’re either treated as hired help or worse, or they’re accepted wholeheartedly into the family.
For the family that we’re going to talk about, it’s the latter.
Family Faced With $165K Hospital Bill After Their FDW Fell Sick In Feb
On 9 Mar 2021, the plight of a Singaporean family was reported.
Jimmy Chan’s Filipino helper, 34-year-old Julie Ann Lucero, fell gravely ill in early Feb 2021.
She suffered from multiple organ failure due to severe blood poisoning and was warded at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital’s ICU.
She was later diagnosed with tuberculosis.
After staying at the hospital for 27 days, her medical bills added up to S$120,000.
Made The Decision To Go Home
As the medical bills in Singapore pile up, Julie decided to go home for treatment despite the risks involved.
When the hospital wanted Chan to sign an “At Own Risk” form, he hesitated because he was worried that something might happen.
On 5 Mar, he was informed by the hospital that Julie had signed the form after understanding what it’s about.
On the same day, Julie was discharged and sent back to her home country.
However, because of her condition, she had to return via a private plane with a medical team on board.
The cost of the repatriation comes out to S$45,000, AsiaOne reported.
Needs Help With Paying The Bills
Chan says he’s more than happy to foot the medical bill for his helper.
However, he could not to do so.
While he had bought insurance for his helper, it would only cover up to S$30,000 for her medical fees and S$10,000 of the repatriation cost.
This left the family with a hefty debt to cover.
Chan clarified that he and his wife are regular salary workers, and the couple has two daughters aged 14 and 18 years old.
To help with the bills, he set up a donation drive on GiveAsia, which has raised S$91,000 so far.
It was added that Chan hopes to raise more money for Julie because her family is not well-to-do, and he’s afraid that she’ll choose to give up on treatment (and her life) instead due to money concerns.
Feature Image: GiveAsia
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