From April this year, their employers will be required to purchase a basic health care plan for foreign workers residing in hostels or working in the fields of construction, marine and process engineering. It will be mandatory as part of the work permit for foreign workers.
This program is mandatory when applying for and renewing an S-Pass Permit or Work Permit. The Ministry of Human Resources said this yesterday.
The annual fee for a basic health care plan ranges from 108 Fridays to 138 Fridays. You can also pay it as a monthly fee.
The scheme will cover the expenses incurred for most of the basic health needs of the foreign workers in these divisions. The scheme will cover the cost of medical examinations for work permit application, annual medical examinations, direct medical consultation, medical treatments and telephone services. Foreign workers also have to pay a small fee when using medical services.
S-Pass Work Permit will be issued to eligible new foreign employees only after the employers purchase the scheme. The scheme must also be purchased first for foreign employees here who are renewing their work permit or moving to other companies.
If foreign workers currently working in Singapore are covered under the scheme, they must have a basic health care plan before March 31 next year. This applies even if their work permit is renewed only after that.
In order to hold foreign workers accountable for their health, they must pay five silver coins each time they visit the clinic. The Ministry of Human Resources said that they have to pay two shillings when receiving medical services over the phone.
The Ministry of Human Resources said that in the first phase, about one-third of the foreign workers working in Singapore, 300,000, will be brought under the scheme. The project was announced in November last year, following the outbreak of germs in hostels and residential areas during the Kovit-19 period.
Human Resources Minister Dan Chee Leng said the scheme would provide additional peace of mind for foreign workers accessing basic medical services. The minister, who visited the St Andrews Foreign Employee Medical Center yesterday, commented on the plan.
“The plan will give employers clarity about medical expenses and protect them from unforeseen medical expenses,” Mr Dan said.
St Andrews Overseas Staff Medical Center is the first of six medical centers to be set up in different parts of Singapore. The center will provide outpatient treatment to overseas staff.