PUBLISHED ONMay 03, 2023 3:59 AMByClaudia TanA woman called for an ambulance after her domestic helper complained of a stomach ache, but she was shocked to find out that the latter had given birth.
The woman, surnamed Yun, told Lianhe Zaobao she hired a 37-year-old Indonesian named Renny Anggraeni as her domestic helper last October.
Two months later, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reminded Yun that Anggraeni was due for a medical screening which checks for pregnancy and infectious diseases.
Yun, busy with work at that time, asked her helper to go for the check-up on her own at a clinic in Simei on Dec 19.
The results of the screening looked normal and Anggraeni was allowed to continue working.
There were signs of trouble on March 22 when the domestic helper suddenly complained she was unwell with a stomach ache.
Yun told her to apply some medicated oil and rest but she eventually had to call for an ambulance as Anggraeni's pain had worsened.
The next day, the employer received a call from the hospital, informing her that her domestic helper had given birth to a baby girl.
Stunned by the news, Yun told the Chinese daily: "Anggraeni had always been chubby, and her clothes were loose. She didn't look pregnant at all."
It was unlikely Anggraeni didn't know she was pregnant, as this isn't her first child, Yun said.
Upon discharge from hospital, the domestic helper returned to Yun's home for one night, where she apologised and confessed that the baby actually belonged to her Indonesian husband.
Yun also suspected that Anggraeni had tampered with the results of her medical examination.
"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," she said.
The employer shared that she forked out about $2,000 for her helper's medical expenses, a sum which she hopes the maid agency can help to cover.
According to Yun, the agency sent Anggraeni to the Indonesia embassy and both mother and daughter returned home on April 8.
The agency declined to comment further on the incident.
When Zaobao contacted the clinic that conducted the medical screening for Anggraeni, a doctor said she underwent a urine test but the results did not show that she was pregnant.
It was the first time the clinic encountered a patient who gave birth three months after a negative pregnancy test, he said.
Responding to Zaobao's queries, MOM said that are aware of the incident. They are currently in contact with Yun and Anggraeni and are investigating the matter.
According to the manpower ministry, 170 maids were found to be pregnant between 2019 and 2021, which makes up less than 0.1 per cent of the total number of foreign domestic workers in Singapore.
Domestic helpers who arrive in Singapore have to attend a compulsory one-day Settling-In Programme, where they are told to inform their employers if they discover they are pregnant in Singapore.
If a helper is found to be pregnant during her six-monthly medical examination, the clinic will have to update MOM of the pregnancy.
And if the pregnancy is discovered outside of the medical examination, employers are then required to inform the manpower ministry of their helper's pregnancy.
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