Direct hired maid failed medical exam...

[James Lim]

Hi all.

Thanks for all the invaluable advice available on these forums. They have been helpful in disseminating information needed for living in SG.

Question is:

Will a first time to SG, IPA in hand, done w seminar etc directly-hired maid who fails the 6ME medical exam prior to getting her work permit on grounds of having TB no recourse but to be immediately sent back to home country?

She exhibits no outward signs of TB and is not sneezing/coughing at all.

Considering to look for a doctor in order to determine stage of her TB and if light enough/early stage, plan to request MOM to grant her work permit so she can stay on/work while she gets treated.

Will MOM grant us/her this consideration?

Reason preferring to keep her instead of waiting/searching for replacement is because she is a former employee of my parents back in home country thus am used to how she is already.

Thanks in advance for all incoming advice and again for the great forums.

[therat]

http://www.ica.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=4497

3 Those who are found to have active Tuberculosis or HIV infection will not be granted employment passes, long-term immigration passes or PR. This health requirement will further strengthen the control of communicable diseases like HIV infection and Tuberculosis in Singapore.

[James Lim]

Quick answer on the matter much appreciated.

[nakatago]

NB: people from third world countries more often than not test positive for TB, depending on which test was administered. I know I did (not tested here in Singapore though) but I haven't coughed my lungs out yet and all my chest x-rays to date say I won't and haven't.

[x9200]

Quick answer is in the therat's post. What is it there what is unclear to you? She failed the test = she has active TB. On top of this and after:

http://www.mom.gov.sg/foreign-manpower/ ... ation.aspx

A FDW who fails the 6ME should be repatriated immediately.

Edited to add: it may be still a good idea to get her examined by another doctor. If the test was done only based on X-ray you should also request some microbiology related tests.

[sundaymorningstaple]

To give you a first hand account how they are here in Singapore. We recently had a long term employee leave us around 3 months ago. About 2 months ago, we had a visit from a male nurse from the CDC show up on our doorstep at the office. It seems our former colleague had active TB. Everybody in our office had to go down to the CDC and have an injection to test if we had contacted TB and if it were active or dormant. Only three people in the office were TB free (I was one of them). A number of others have ended up on 6 months medications to quash the dormant TB in their systems or other subsequent followups. This meant two trips or more to the CDC - one for the injection (surface test) and subsequent measuring of the welt to determine whether to discharge, monitor, or put on drugs for 6 months.

[the lynx]

To give you a first hand account how they are here in Singapore. We recently had a long term employee leave us around 3 months ago. About 2 months ago, we had a visit from a male nurse from the CDC show up on our doorstep at the office. It seems our former colleague had active TB. Everybody in our office had to go down to the CDC and have an injection to test if we had contacted TB and if it were active or dormant. Only three people in the office were TB free (I was one of them). A number of others have ended up on 6 months medications to quash the dormant TB in their systems or other subsequent followups. This meant two trips or more to the CDC - one for the injection (surface test) and subsequent measuring of the welt to determine whether to discharge, monitor, or put on drugs for 6 months.

That is scary. Only three in the entire office?! How rampant is latent TB?

[ecureilx]

Will a first time to SG, IPA in hand, done w seminar etc directly-hired maid who fails the 6ME medical exam prior to getting her work permit on grounds of having TB no recourse but to be immediately sent back to home country?

She exhibits no outward signs of TB and is not sneezing/coughing at all.

Could I know which country she is from ? A lot of FDWs are subjected to Medical tests before they depart, including TB, or are getting charged for it - fake or not -

If she had gone for a medical, in her home country, she owes the agency for that fake medical, and I would do her a favour and demand that the agency reimburse her back -

Especially considering she worked for your parents ..

[sundaymorningstaple]

To give you a first hand account how they are here in Singapore. We recently had a long term employee leave us around 3 months ago. About 2 months ago, we had a visit from a male nurse from the CDC show up on our doorstep at the office. It seems our former colleague had active TB. Everybody in our office had to go down to the CDC and have an injection to test if we had contacted TB and if it were active or dormant. Only three people in the office were TB free (I was one of them). A number of others have ended up on 6 months medications to quash the dormant TB in their systems or other subsequent followups. This meant two trips or more to the CDC - one for the injection (surface test) and subsequent measuring of the welt to determine whether to discharge, monitor, or put on drugs for 6 months.

That is scary. Only three in the entire office?! How rampant is latent TB?

We have 23 office staff, Interestingly his replacement, who sat next to him for a month was one who did not contract TB in any form, like myself. I and the 3rd person are were not in close proximity nor visited by him except rarely. The rest were under continued observation or a 6 month medical treatment with isoniazid.

http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/h ... Stats.html

[nutnut]

It's standard in the UK to be tested for immunity and if nto then vaccinated for TB, it leaves a fairly large scar on your upper arm (dependant on your writing hand, it's the opposite one)

Full of interesting information me!

Anyway, the point is, that you and your 2 other colleagues could be immune naturally to TB. There were some (few and far between) who used to administer punches to the affected area and it hurt like hell!

[x9200]

Anyway, the point is, that you and your 2 other colleagues could be immune naturally to TB. There were some (few and far between) who used to administer punches to the affected area and it hurt like hell!

If they were tested with the skin test it rather means that they were extremely lucky and were not exposed. If they were immune they should have tested positive.

[JR8]

It's standard in the UK to be tested for immunity and if nto then vaccinated for TB, it leaves a fairly large scar on your upper arm (dependant on your writing hand, it's the opposite one)

Full of interesting information me!

Anyway, the point is, that you and your 2 other colleagues could be immune naturally to TB. There were some (few and far between) who used to administer punches to the affected area and it hurt like hell!

That was the BCG that you got at the age of about 11 years old?

p.s. yes it leaves a scar but quite discreet. Sometimes in SG you see young women with scars like a pink slug on their upper arms... wonder if that is BCG too?

[the lynx]

It's standard in the UK to be tested for immunity and if nto then vaccinated for TB, it leaves a fairly large scar on your upper arm (dependant on your writing hand, it's the opposite one)

Full of interesting information me!

Anyway, the point is, that you and your 2 other colleagues could be immune naturally to TB. There were some (few and far between) who used to administer punches to the affected area and it hurt like hell!

That was the BCG that you got at the age of about 11 years old?

p.s. yes it leaves a scar but quite discreet. Sometimes in SG you see young women with scars like a pink slug on their upper arms... wonder if that is BCG too?

That is for Rubella. I also have one, but fortunately not in that horrid bulbous shape!

[nakatago]

That was the BCG that you got at the age of about 11 years old?

p.s. yes it leaves a scar but quite discreet. Sometimes in SG you see young women with scars like a pink slug on their upper arms... wonder if that is BCG too?

Not too sure but other vaccines are administered via needle there. The pink-slug keloid seems to only apply to certain genetic dispositions.

[zzm9980]

p.s. yes it leaves a scar but quite discreet. Sometimes in SG you see young women with scars like a pink slug on their upper arms... wonder if that is BCG too?

My daughter has one, don't know if it's from TB or what. I think it was a "multi-shot". Of course she's just over 1, and it's rapidly subsiding. I very rarely saw it on women in the US, but I see it on people everywhere in Asia. I wonder if the genetic disposition theory above is true, or if it is a different vaccine formula?