41-year-old GW was born and lived in a village he described to be surrounded by “mountains, hills and a river” in Hubei, China. Being in the construction industry as a carpenter for over 20 years, GW has several working experiences abroad, such as Algeria and Vietnam, where he believes he can get higher pay to take better care of his elderly father, wife and his two children, who are currently attending school. He eventually decided to settle in Singapore, as he found comfort in the vibrant Chinese community and was able to acclimatize better here. He first came to Singapore in 2013, and had been working here for slightly over 3 years.

In late September last year, GW’s left hand was sliced by a carpentry equipment and this resulted in a bone injury. Suffering from great pain that did not subside after using his own medication for the first night, his employer brought him to the hospital the following day, where he had x-ray and a surgery.

There he met YB, who recommended Healthserve to him. He feels that he got a lot of help from Healthserve, in terms of Casework and Clinical. The caseworkers helped to translate and guide him through Singapore’s procedures and he attended Physiotherapy sessions whenever he was in pain. He feels that Healthserve has also given him the opportunity to explore Singapore and interact with Singaporeans, which he really liked as we “are very honest and easy-going”. 

6 months on, GW has fully recovered and resolved his case. As for the future, he hopes to return to Singapore to work but is worried that this injury may make potential employers reject him. As for now, he is excited to go home and be reunited with his family.