A domestic helper is more than cleaning clothes and the house. Imagine being in a situation where you have to wash clothes, look after the kids, cook, clean the house, and go to work. You might find yourself in a confusing situation and lack the time to rest. With a maid, you will have time to relax and have a better social life. Also, you’ll have a healthier home since the domestic helper has all the time to keep your home clutter down and removing allergens.
If you’re living in Singapore, it can be easy to find a domestic helper since you can consider a maid employment agency. However, remember, the helper might be exposed to germs or other health issues. When they arrive at your home, they are likely to affect you or your family members. Also, do you know that offering paid sick leave can lead to inconveniences at your home? However, the good thing is that hiring a maid in Singapore comes with added legal requirements. You need to carry out medical checks to ensure that the maid is physically and mentally healthy.
Here are two current medical checks necessary for maids:
Pre-Employment Maid Medical Examination
The domestic helpers is required to visit a Singapore-registered doctor for a pre-employment maid medical examination within 2 weeks of her arrival in Singapore. After passing all the mandatory medical tests, she will be issued a Work Permit.
Her Work Permit will only be issued if she passes the medical examination. Otherwise, she will have to be sent home.
This medical examination is designed to allow the maid to undergo four tests for common infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, syphilis, and malaria. If you are concerned about the maid’s health, you can ask for more tests to be sure that they are fit to work. At times, the maid has to wait too long before the medical screening is done. In this case, it is good to consider a maid employment agency Singapore. An agency can guide you on the right techniques that will make the process easier.
Six-Monthly Medical Examination (6ME)
During the Helper’s employment, you will have to send her for medical screening every 6 months. The examination screens for pregnancy, syphilis, tuberculosis, and HIV. Your maid can use the home-based 6ME services if she finds it challenging to go out of the compound. The good thing about 6ME is that you will receive a notification letter when your maid’s 6ME is due. However, it is advisable to keep track of the dates by creating a reminder in your calendar.
The notification letter will only indicate the due date and the examinations needed. So, if you have other health concerns about your maid, you can enquire for other checkups. However, not every maid is a good fit for 6ME.
When You Do Not Need to Send Your Maid for 6ME?
If the maid is over 50 years old or above, she only needs to go for medical examination upon renewal of her Work Permit but not the 6ME. Also, you can choose not to send your maid for the 6ME if you are sending her home within 1 month after the 6ME is due.
It is essential to keep track of the due dates because failure of attend the medical examination can lead to work permit cancellation. Also, it can cause fines and other expenses of sending the maid back home and starting a new process of hiring a maid.
The good thing is that Singapore’s maid employment agency can help you if your maid’s Work Permit is canceled. The agencies understand that work permit cancellation can cost you a lot of money and time. That’s why their main goal is to help the employers in Singapore throughout the whole process of hiring a maid.
How Homekeeper Can Help
Maid Recruitment & Employment
Every applicant is interviewed and screened by recruitment specialists professionally to ensure suitability.
Maid Training & Development
Homekeeper equips all maids with necessary skills according to the home care needs of families in Singapore.
Maid Employment Paperwork Service
Homekeeper takes care of the complicated paperwork for families to save you time and money.
If you are searching for a professional Maid Agency to make your life easier, contact us at 6468 5220 or email us at contactus@homekeeper.sg.
About the Author
Linda Seh has over 20 years of experience in the Employment industry. She takes the time to thoroughly interview each family and helper to understand their requirements, personalities, and preferences. Her intuition and insight has helped her make placements that result in lasting, harmonious working relationships. Linda now leverages this expertise and experience to simplify your search and ensure you find the ideal and qualified helper to become a valued member of your family.
