Let’s give hope to migrant workers battling critical illnesses

Contribute to Singapore’s first community-led Fund to create a vital safety net for migrant workers diagnosed with critical illnesses.

The issue

Migrant workers with critical illnesses cannot afford high treatment costs

Most employers often terminate their work permit and send them home to countries with inadequate social welfare systems. There, these migrant workers face crushing medical expenses and / or substantial loans owed to banks for the employment agent fees they paid to come to Singapore, in addition to the stress / guilt of no longer being able to provide for their family.

737,700

Number of migrant CMP [1] and domestic workers in Singapore

S$84,000 - $200,000

Range of treatment costs for late-stage cancer in their home countries or in Singapore [3]

S$5,400 - $9,600

Average annual wage of a migrant worker in Singapore [2]

S8,645 - $43,502

Range of treatment costs for early-stage cancer in their home countries or in Singapore [3]

[1] Male migrant workers who work in the construction, marine and process sectors

[2] Kontinentalist: No Place To Work: The Risks and Realities of Migrant Labour in Singapore

[3] Seedly: Can You Afford Cancer Treatment? An Insight On The True Cost of Cancer Treatment in Singapore

“From MWC’s experience, unexpected heart attacks, cancer, stroke and diabetes are some of the leading causes of death among the migrant worker community in Singapore…”

Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) in an interview with The Straits Times in 2020

Sure a not? They got no insurance meh?

While their mandatory medical insurance does cover inpatient treatment for critical illness, it does have three limitations

First, the claim limit might not be sufficient for late-stage critical illness. Second, these insurance typically do not cover outpatient costs (e.g. chemotherapy, medication, etc) and third, they also do not cover treatment costs if workers are sent home, which is often the case.

Migrant CMP workers in Singapore

1. Work Injury Compensation Insurance (WICA)

Pays between S$45,000 - $225,000 for work-related injuries.

2. Mandatory Medical Insurance

Purchased by employer to cover inpatient care and day surgery for non-work related injuries with an annual claim limit of at least $60,000.

Domestic workers in Singapore

1. Personal Accident Insurance

Covers at least $60,000 per year for unexpected incidents resulting in permanent disability or death.

2. Mandatory Medical Insurance

Purchased by employer to cover inpatient care and day surgery for non-work related injuries with an annual claim limit of at least $60,000.

Then how? What help is currently available?

From what we can find, migrant workers have four limited avenues of support when they are diagnosed with critical illnesses

Care4Migrant Workers Insurance for Male CMP workers

Launched by in 2020 as Singapore’s first low-cost group term life insurance for male migrant workers. For $9 per year, it covers 37 critical illnesses, offering a lump-sum payout up to $10,000.

Crowdfunding Campaigns

Launched by non-profit groups such as Migrant Mutual Aid and ItsRainingRaincoats and kind-hearted employers. However, the success of such campaigns is dependent on whether the worker has a media-worthy story or personal networks, which a majority do not have.

Emergency Financial Assistance

Male migrant workers in distress can apply for assistance under MWC’s Migrant Workers Assistance Fund. Female migrant domestic workers can apply for the Domestic Employees Welfare Fund by NTUC for medical support and subsistence allowances, amongst others.

Kind-Hearted Employers Who Foot the Bill

We have seen stories in the media of employers of domestic workers who paid over $24,000 for chemotherapy sessions in Singapore or $28,000 for breast cancer surgery in Manila.

But current avenues are not enough because of three reasons

Maximum payout from C4M insurance is insufficient

The maximum payout of S$10,000 falls short of the estimated costs for critical illness treatment in Singapore or back home.

The C4M doesn’t cover female domestic workers

There are 294,800 female domestic workers in Singapore caring for our children and seniors. This is a significant number of people that doesn’t have coverage.

Crowdfunding is a popularity contest

Not all workers have media-worthy stories or connections to Singaporeans - conditions that are critical for successful crowdfunding campaigns.

We believe a long-term solution is to consider a national MediFund equivalent for migrant workers, where contributions to premiums can be shared between workers, employers, insurers and other sponsors.

But this will likely take a long time… What can we do in the interim?

Our solution

We are raising $410,500 to establish Singapore’s first community fund for migrant workers with critical illnesses

This fund will reduce inequalities in crowdfunding and increase the chances of any worker in need receiving assistance, regardless of their popularity or connections. Workers could use the funds received for their medical treatment or as income replacement for their family. It will include the following components:

A community-led council comprising doctors, civil society, employers, govt reps, that decides disbursement guidelines to ensure decisions are made by people with deep insight into the lives of migrant workers.

Administered by Ray of Hope, an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) known for their expertise in setting up crowdfunding campaigns and adhering to governance standards.

Collection of data on incidence of critical illnesses in migrant workers which would aid future insurance products and policy planning efforts.

Open to application all-year round. We will organize additional fundraising drives when funds start running low.

How can I help?

Here are three concrete steps you can take to create change for our migrant workers

Donate to the Campaign

Help us reach out fundraising target of $410,500 by donating to the our campaign page on Ray of Hope!

Start a Birthday Fundraiser

Make your special day extra meaningful by mobilizing your friends and family to help migrant workers through a birthday fundraiser!

Share with Your Friends

Help us get more people to see this page by sharing it with your friends and family on Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram and more!

I get to live, because of you

“I was sent home to the Philippines after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. My biggest fear wasn't just the illness - it was losing the job that helped me support my family for decades.

I worried every day about how I could afford treatment or meet my family's needs . But thanks to the support from the public fundraising campaigns, I was able to receive chemotherapy and the care I needed.

For me and my family, this help was a lifeline.

Cancer is something we can’t afford on our own. Many migrant and domestic workers keep quiet when they’re sick, afraid of losing the jobs they rely on. But we all want the same thing: to recover, to work, to live for our families. I am grateful beyond words to everyone who supported me—it’s because of you that I have hope and a chance to live again.”

Bhing Navato

Domestic worker in Singapore for 29 years

A new social compact between Singaporeans and migrant workers

This community fund could relieve the burden that currently rests on kind-hearted employers and resourceful civil society actors, as we await more systemic solutions like insurance and public policy to catch up.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We (Anthea, En, Vincent and Dhanesh) are a group of friends who have helped migrant and domestic workers with non work-related critical illnesses, such as cancer, to set up crowdfunding campaigns for their treatment and living expenses. Through this work, we have witnessed the heartbreaking struggles of these low-wage workers who cannot afford the high medical costs in Singapore or back home, despite years of hard work.

  • We think this is a complex problem that has remained stuck because there are multiple stakeholders with different constraints that make it difficult to answer the question: “who pays?”

    Here is our hypothesis of the perspectives that these stakeholders may have:

    • Employers: May be hesitant to pay because they are already mandated to pay for medical insurance and a monthly levy. They may prefer for this levy to be used to subsidise insurance premiums

    • Insurers: Little market incentive to provide subsidised premiums or expanded coverage for migrant workers with critical illnesses

    • Migrant Workers: Workers who earn low-wages and have recruitment debt may be unable / unwilling to see the value of insurance and pay for it, even if the premium amount is small

    • Government: Juggling the trade-offs between allocating resources to Singaporeans and migrant workers

    • Government-Linked NGOs Providing Financial Assistance: May be restricted by their guidelines to pay out a fixed amount for specific situations that may not include treatment for critical illnesses

    • General Public: May not be willing to accept higher costs of hiring domestic workers or higher housing prices. May feel that taxpayer monies should go to Singaporeans and not foreigners.

  • This would enable us to support at least 20 migrant workers over two years, providing them with money they can use to either seek treatment or use as income replacement for their family.

    A small portion of the fund will also cover the costs of a Secretariat team to assess, evaluate and prepare the relevant documents for the community-led council’s consideration.

    From our past conversations with the Migrant Workers Centre and non-profit groups supporting migrant workers, we estimate to receive around 10 cases per year. Over time, we will be better able to gauge the demand for such funds and make better predictions for future fundraising target amounts.

  • All funds raised will be strictly held and administered by Ray of Hope, a registered charity in Singapore with Institute of Public Character (IPC) status, that is audited annually by the office of the Commissioner of Charities.

    Since their founding in 2012, Ray of Hope has raised over $10M from 60,000 donors that have benefitted 1,000 beneficiaries.

    The process for fund disbursement will happen in 3 phases:

    1. Migrant workers in need will be assessed by a Secretariat Team comprising social workers and people trained in needs assessment. They will be asked to share relevant medical documents for us to conduct due diligence on their condition.

    2. The Secretariat Team will compile their assessment into a report and a recommended fund disbursement amount. This report and recommendation will be shared at a monthly-meeting of the community-led council.

    3. The community-led council provides their input into the due diligence conducted and the recommended fund disbursement amount, deciding on the final amount to be disbursed to the migrant worker.

    4. Once confirmed, Ray of Hope's team will disburse the confirmed amount to the migrant worker - either in installments or in a lump-sum payment, depending on the circumstances.

  • For a full list of confirmed members in the community-led council, please see our Council Member page.

  • Please feel free to reach out to us! We are happy to answer any additional questions or clarify any details. You can write to us at: mwsgcriticarefund@gmail.com or use the contact form on this website.