Debated in Parliament on 3 Mar 2021.
Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether migrant workers on special passes staying in dormitories and who have not been and are not able to leave their dormitory rooms for work may have special arrangements to leave their dormitories on a more regular basis for mental health reasons; and (b) whether the Ministry is able to expedite their cases in order to facilitate their return to their home nations.
MOM issues Special Passes to migrant workers who are required to stay in Singapore to assist in investigations or for salary or work injury claims. Like other dormitory residents, migrant workers on Special Passes staying in dormitories are allowed to visit Recreation Centres (RCs). They can seek approval from MOM, through their dormitory operators. To be eligible, they need to have a contact tracing device and for COVID-naïve individuals, they need to have a COVID negative test result within the last 14 days. Restrictions are gradually being eased in a safe and controlled manner, and from early March, they can visit the RCs up to three times a week.
MOM ensures that investigations and claims processes are carried out expeditiously so that these workers can return home as soon as possible. Most cases are resolved within six months. Some cases may require a longer time due to multiple and/or serious work injuries. As a result, additional time will be required to allow the injuries to stabilise before a medical assessment can be conducted.
PAPERCUTS