The Health Bureau’s (SSM) proposal to raise the fees for its childbirth services at the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre should target tourists, not non-resident workers, George Yeong Chun Tak, director of the local Peduli Indonesian Migrant Workers Concern Group, said yesterday.
Yeong made the remarks during an interview on the sidelines of one of the activities celebrating International Women’s Day in Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida. Dozens of Indonesian and Vietnamese workers took part in the activity.
The Health Bureau announced on February 28 during a press conference that it has proposed to raise the fees by 800 percent, or nine-fold, for its childbirth services at the public hospital for non-local women whose husbands are also non-locals. It said that the drastic fee hike aimed to reduce the number of non-local women using the public hospital’s childbirth services, in order to ensure a better service for their local counterparts.
George Yeong Chun Tak (centre), director of Peduli Indonesian Migrant Workers Concern Group, poses with performers during an activity yesterday celebrating International Women’s Day in Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida. “Peduli” means “care” in Bahasa Indonesia. Photo: Joel Chu
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