Few things unsettle a household faster than a call from the hospital, or watching your helper being wheeled into an ambulance. This guide walks through a helper hospital admission from the employer’s side: what to do in the first hours, what her medical insurance pays and what you pay, who to tell, how the levy works while she is warded, and how to plan her rest and recovery once she is discharged.
The starting point is simple. Under the Ministry of Manpower’s rules, you are responsible for your helper’s medical care in Singapore, including hospital stays. The insurance you bought for her Work Permit exists for this moment, and it now covers far more than it used to.
What catches families out is rarely the bill. It is the practical gaps: no next of kin on file, no insurance details to hand, a forgotten levy waiver, or expecting full duties the day after discharge.
First steps in a helper hospital emergency
If she is seriously unwell or injured, with symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, sudden weakness, heavy bleeding or loss of consciousness, call 995 for an SCDF ambulance straight away. The SCDF’s emergency medical services page asks the public to call 995 only for life-threatening emergencies.
For problems that are worrying but not life-threatening, SCDF points people to a GP or polyclinic, a 24-hour urgent care centre, or the NurseFirst helpline on 6262 6262 for advice on where to go. SCDF has also announced that it will cease the 1777 non-emergency ambulance hotline from 1 January 2027, so families who still have that number on the fridge should update it.
Whoever goes with her, bring her passport or a copy, her Work Permit details (her FIN number is on the card or digital pass), and your insurer’s name and policy number. Hospitals will ask for these at admission.
Who pays when your helper is hospitalised
MOM’s page on rest days, health and well-being for migrant domestic workers states that you are responsible for your helper’s medical needs, and lists “all medical costs, including hospitalisations and six-monthly medical examinations” among them. This applies whether or not the illness is work related.
It also applies on her day off. MOM’s FAQ on illness or injury on her weekly rest day is explicit: you must still pay for the necessary medical treatment, even if the illness or injury happened on her rest day.
Two things you cannot do. You cannot recover the cost from her. MOM’s guidance on paying your helper’s salary on time and in full says her salary must be paid without any deductions for medical expenses. And you cannot pass on the cost of the insurance premium to her either.
There is one boundary worth knowing. In a 2026 reply on medical treatment costs overseas, MOM said that treatment a helper receives abroad, for example while on home leave, falls outside the scope of an employer’s liability. If she travels with your family, our guide to taking your helper overseas covers travel insurance.
How her medical insurance handles a hospital bill
Every helper must have medical insurance covering inpatient care and day surgery. According to MOM’s insurance requirements page, policies starting on or after 1 July 2023 must have an annual claim limit of at least $60,000. You are fully covered for the first $15,000 of claimable costs. Above $15,000, the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%. This is separate from the MediShield Life scheme that covers your own family.
As an illustration, on a claimable bill of $25,000 the insurer pays the first $15,000 plus 75% of the remaining $10,000, and your co-payment is $2,500. Anything the policy does not cover still falls to you as the employer.
The second stage of the enhanced rules, from 1 July 2025, made two changes that matter in a hospital. Insurers must pay the hospital directly for the claimable portion once a claim is assessed to be admissible, so you are less likely to be asked to pay a large sum upfront and claim it back. And insurers can only exclude treatments that appear on MOM’s standardised list of allowable exclusions. MOM says the $60,000 limit covers an estimated 99% of inpatient bills.
Medical insurance and personal accident insurance are different
Her personal accident insurance, with a sum assured of at least $60,000, pays out for accidental death or permanent disability. It is not for hospital bills, and the payout must go to your helper or her beneficiaries, not to you. For a refresher on both policies, see our guide to maid medical insurance in Singapore.
Practical steps with your insurer
- Call your insurer or agent as soon as she is admitted and ask what they need from the hospital.
- Give the hospital your policy details so it can work with the insurer on direct payment.
- Ask how your policy treats higher ward classes and private hospitals. MOM’s FAQ on ward class for compulsory medical insurance notes that some insurers apply a pro-ration factor for these, so check your policy wording before agreeing to an upgrade.
- Keep every bill and discharge summary until the claim is closed.
Telling her family, your agency and getting support
Your helper may be frightened, in pain or medicated, and far from home. If she is able, ask her who she would like you to contact and let her lead that conversation. If she cannot speak for herself, use the emergency contact in her employment records. Check now that you have one, with a working number.
Keep updates factual and calm, and leave medical details to the doctors. Her medical information belongs to her, so let her decide how much is shared with relatives or others in your household.
If you hired through an agency, let them know early. They can often help with translation or with reassuring her family. At Femme5 we also run helper transport for medical appointments, which some families use for follow-up visits after discharge.
For advice on the employment side, MOM lists the Centre for Domestic Employees helpline, 1800 225 5233, on its resources page for employers.
Levy and salary while she is in hospital
You keep paying the levy as normal, but you can apply for a waiver for hospitalisation leave. MOM’s levy waiver page sets out the conditions:
- The hospitalisation leave must be issued by a Singapore-registered doctor at a local medical institution.
- The medical certificate must show her name, FIN, the leave period, the clinic or hospital, the doctor’s name and the MC number.
- Waivers for hospitalisation leave are capped at 60 calendar days per calendar year.
- You apply through the “Check and pay foreign worker levy” e-service, from the 1st of the month after you receive the bill and within 1 year of that bill. Processing usually takes about 12 working days, and the waived amount is credited against your next bill.
Ask the hospital for a proper MC with these details at discharge. Our guide to how the maid levy is calculated and paid covers the rest of the levy rules.
On salary, helpers are not covered by the Employment Act, and the MOM pages we checked do not set a separate sick leave or hospitalisation leave entitlement for them. What MOM is clear about is that her declared salary must be paid in full and on time, without deductions for medical expenses. Our advice is to keep paying her normal salary while she is warded and recovering, and to set out medical leave in her employment contract so there is no doubt next time.
Rest and recovery after maid hospitalisation
Discharge is not the same as recovery. Read the discharge instructions with her, make sure she understands her medicines and follow-up dates, and follow the doctor’s advice on how much rest she needs and what she should avoid. If the MC says no lifting, that includes laundry baskets and toddlers.
Ease her back gradually. Agree which tasks she can manage in the first week, check in daily, and treat follow-up appointments as working time, not something to fit into her rest day.
Plan cover for the gap. Family members can take on more for a while, or you can book a part-time helper for cleaning or cooking so she does not push herself back too early. If she usually helps an older parent with walking and transfers, as in hip fracture recovery at home, arrange cover for that care too.
Watch her mood as well as her body. A hospital stay far from home can leave a helper anxious about her job or simply low. Reassure her, and see our guide to helper mental health and support if you notice signs that she is struggling. If her symptoms return or worsen at home, take her back to a doctor, and call 995 in an emergency.
If her recovery will take a long time
Occasionally an illness means a helper cannot return to work for months. Avoid hasty decisions while she is still warded. Talk to her doctors, your agency and MOM or the Centre for Domestic Employees about your obligations before deciding anything about her employment, because your responsibilities continue until the employment ends properly. In the rare event that she does not survive, our guide on when a helper passes away sets out the steps.
Related guides: Maid Off Day Rules in Singapore: 2026 Guide for Employers and Domestic Helper Work Permit Singapore: How to Apply (2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay my helper’s hospital bill?
Yes. MOM states that employers are responsible for all of their helper’s medical costs in Singapore, including hospitalisation, even if she fell ill on her rest day. Her medical insurance pays most of an inpatient bill, but any co-payment or uncovered cost falls to you, and none of it may be deducted from her salary.
How much of a big hospital bill will I pay myself?
For policies that started on or after 1 July 2023, the insurer covers the first $15,000 of claimable costs in full. Above that, the insurer pays 75% and you pay 25%, up to an annual limit of at least $60,000. Excluded treatments and costs above the limit are also yours to pay.
Can I get the levy waived while my helper is in hospital?
Yes, if the hospitalisation leave is issued by a Singapore-registered doctor at a local medical institution and the MC shows the details MOM requires. Waivers for hospitalisation leave are capped at 60 calendar days a year. You keep paying the levy and apply through MOM’s levy e-service afterwards, and the waived amount is credited to your next bill.
Am I responsible if my helper falls ill while on home leave overseas?
MOM has said that medical treatment a helper receives abroad, for example on home leave, falls outside the scope of an employer’s liability. MOM encourages employers to discuss travel plans and suggest she buys travel insurance before she leaves.
Should I still pay her salary while she is hospitalised?
MOM’s pages for helpers do not set a separate hospitalisation leave entitlement, but her declared salary must be paid in full and on time with no deductions for medical expenses. We recommend paying her normal salary throughout her stay and recovery, and writing your medical leave terms into her employment contract.
Conclusion
When your helper is hospitalised, the order of priorities is clear: get her the right care, call your insurer, tell the people who need to know, and then deal with the paperwork. The enhanced medical insurance, with direct payment to hospitals and a $60,000 annual limit, means most bills are now manageable, and the levy waiver softens the cost of time off.
The part that takes most thought is afterwards. A helper given time to recover, who feels her employer stood by her, usually comes back steadier. Check the MOM pages linked above for the current rules, because they do change.
If you would like help thinking through cover or support while your helper recovers, our consultants are glad to talk it through. You can get in touch with the Femme5 team to discuss your family’s needs, read more about how we work with employers, or explore what a good placement looks like.
The Femme5 Team
Maid placement specialists, Femme5 Maid Agency
Our consultants work with Singaporean and expatriate families on helper matching, contracts and MOM compliance, and we verify the regulatory guidance in our articles directly against the Ministry of Manpower’s published requirements.
