A 37-year-old domestic worker in Singapore initially complained about stomach aches, but her employer was surprised to find out that she had given birth as she got into the hospital.
Yun, the 47-year-old employer, hired an Indonesian named Renny Anggraeni as her domestic helper last October.
She told Lianhe Zaobao that Anggraeni had come to Singapore to work as a domestic helper, and she did not appear to be pregnant from her medical examination in December 2022.
In fact, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) was the one to remind Yun that Anggraeni was due for a medical screening that also included pregnancy and infectious diseases tests.
Yun had to pay more than S$2,000 to cover her foreign domestic worker’s medical expenses.
According to MOM, Singapore employers of migrant domestic workers should bear all the costs of maintaining those under their charge, including any medical costs when necessary.
Taking the medical screening
After being reminded, Yun asked the domestic helper to go for the check-up on her own at a clinic in Simei on Dec 19 because she was busy with work at that time.
The medical screening results seemed normal, so Anggraeni was allowed to continue working.
On March 22, the domestic helper first complained that she was unwell with a stomach ache.
Yun told Anggraeni to apply some medicated oil and rest.
The confession
Surprised by the childbirth news, Yun shared with the Chinese daily: “Anggraeni had always been chubby, and her clothes were loose. She didn’t look pregnant at all.”
She also added that it was very unlikely for Anggraeni not to know that she was pregnant, as this isn’t her first child.
After discharge from the hospital, Anggraeni went to her employer’s home for one night, where she apologised and confessed that the baby actually is from her Indonesian husband.
However, Yun suspected that the Indonesian domestic helper had tampered with the results of her medical screening.
“I regret trusting her and letting her go for the medical check-up on her own. If I had accompanied her, I could’ve realised [she was pregnant] earlier,” Yun said.