A domestic helper was hospitalised in December after suffering from meningitis and brain inflammation.

She subsequently had a stroke and underwent an emergency surgery on Jan. 14.

She turned 26 on Jan. 10.

Headaches & vomiting

According to her employer, who wanted to be known as Basdeo, the illness happened seemingly "out of the blue".

The helper, Jomhao Veinthutheng, was bringing Basdeo's brother for an appointment at the hospital on Dec. 28 when she began to experience severe headaches and vomiting.

On Basdeo's advice, she first went to the GP and was prescribed medication.

But when her symptoms did not improve, Basdeo told her to go to the A&E.

"There, they did a CT scan and found abnormalities in her brain," Basdeo recalled.

She went through a series of tests including MRIs, CT scans, and two lumbar punctures, which left her physically and mentally drained and "terrified of the pain".

Jomhao was eventually found to have inflammation and bleeding in her brain and was hospitalised.

Subsequent stroke

The stress of the financial burden caused Jomhao to "be in tears", Basdeo said.

She further insisted on being discharged and returning to India to get treated there instead.

"She was crying...she told me didi, I want to go home."

Although she initially tried to convince her to stay and receive treatment, Basdeo eventually relented and began looking for a hospital near Jomhao's home.

But before she could return to India, she fell severely ill on Jan. 13 with vomiting and weakness on her left side.

She initially refused to return to the hospital. But when her condition did not improve, Basdeo called the ambulance to get her admitted.

At the hospital, doctors informed Basdeo that her helper had suffered a stroke.

They added that she would need an emergency operation the next day to remove the blood clots.

As of now, Jomhao remains in hospital and under sedation. She is "responding positively", Basdeo said.

However, it is unclear how long she will need to be hospitalised.

A bubbly and hardworking individual

Speaking to Mothership, Basdeo described Jomhao as a bubbly and hardworking individual.

She'd been hired a year ago to look after Basdeo's mother and brother, who had an accident that led to him suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

"She went to the hospitals to learn how to administer insulin and how to care for my brother... and the feedback from the nurses was always positive.

[They'd say] that Jomhao was good, she's very proactive... always very positive feedback."

In May 2023, Jomhao's family in Manipur was displaced due to the civil unrest.

"She would always send back a lot of money, sometimes a full salary. And I would tell her you need to keep some for yourself," Basdeo recalled.

"And she would say 'yeah, just let me help [my family] to build a home, and send [my] siblings to school'."

"I always admired these things she did. It takes a lot to think for others, to be so empathetic and compassionate towards your family.

And to be responsible at such a young age... I just found it very beautiful."

Due to her condition, Basdeo has tried to arrange for Jomhao's family to be flown to Singapore.

Unfortunately, they do not have passports, and it is unclear if they can obtain them due to the ongoing civil unrest.

Financial impact

Jomhao was hired before the changes to the requirements in domestic helpers' insurance, which increased the minimum coverage to S$60,000 (effective July 1, 2023).

As such, her insurance, which was purchased by the agency as part of the employment package, only covers hospitalisation and surgery expenses up to S$15,000.

As of Jan. 11 — before her stroke and surgery — her bill had already exceeded that amount.

While Basdeo has taken "back-to-back leaves" to attend to her helper and care for her mother and brother in Jomhao's absence, she is unsure if she can cover all of the medical expenses.

She reached out to the agency when Jomhao was first hospitalised but was "told flatly to send her back".

After she was re-hospitalised for stroke, the agency asked why she did not send her back sooner, Basdeo said.

She retorted:

"This is a young girl, this is a young child. I treat her like my own child, my own sister."

Mothership has contacted the agency for comment, but has not received a response as at the time of writing.

Basdeo has also spoken to Jomhao's father and reassured him that she is trying to raise money for his daughter's treatment.

"I am hoping to cover as much as I can from my end for the expenses but if I am not, I will have to raise more funds," she told Mothership.

A fundraising page has since been set up. Those interested to donate can do so here.

Funds raised will go towards Jomhao's ongoing treatment in Singapore, as well as her treatment in India, if and once her condition stabilises to a point that she can be safely repatriated.

Increased insurance

According to a HOME spokesperson, S$15,000 is unlikely to be sufficient to cover the medical bills of domestic helpers in the event of severe illness.

This is because they are not Singaporean and thus ineligible for medical subsidies.

"Even with the increased medical insurance coverage to $60,000, this may be insufficient: treatments for illnesses such as cancer or kidney dialysis (which are illnesses we have seen afflict MDWs) may run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars," the spokesperson said.

Employers can speak to their insurance providers to purchase higher insurance coverage for their helpers.

They are also encouraged to send their helpers for regular health screenings to detect illnesses at an early stage.

Tu Tian Ming, a neurologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, explained that meningitis is a potentially life-threatening illness that should be treated early for the best chance of recovery.

"Studies have shown delayed treatment for bacterial meningitis can cause significant mortality," he said.

Basdeo added that she hopes that Jomhao's story will "highlight the importance of having better coverage for helpers who look after our families".

"Those who build our roads and roofs over our heads," she said.

Top image from Basdeo