Accompanying a Migrant Worker to the Hospital

Accompanying a Migrant Worker to the Hospital By Denise Goh The first thing anyone would notice about Wang Zhi Guo is his rather animated personality and his loud, distinctive voice, which often announces itself in the corridor before you even see him. One of the younger migrant brothers, Zhi Guo is only 38 […]

Introducing Humour and Light-heartededness in Wan Jun’s Life

By all accounts, 26 January 2017 should have been just like any other ordinary day in Wan Jun’s life. His 16 years of experience in doing plastering work, especially in Singapore, made him incredibly seasoned at his job, and he knew the ins-and-outs of the business intimately. And this construction work was the […]

A Second Home

Our migrant brother, K (name changed), is a regular face at HealthServe. One can often catch him bustling around purposefully at our Desker centre – from manning the coupon collection at our Desker Food Project, to joining our migrant brothers in cooking lunch on Wednesdays for everyone else, and even tidying up and […]

Ming Quan, the Sole Breadwinner

“I have no dreams. I’ve never had any dreams. Dreams are only for idealists; in actual fact, reality is bitter. Dreams aren’t worth pursuing, because as you’re chasing them, they’ll gradually become murkier, and at the end of the day, you’ll have no choice but to abandon them. For my generation, our chance […]

Learning Love within Community

Normally quiet and serious, Zhai Fu Min was visibly shaken as he stepped into the HealthServe Geylang office on 6 June 2017, the long-anticipated day that he was due to fly back to Xi An, China. As he talked to Willy, one of the HealthServe staff, his tragic story unfolded. The night before, […]

A Tentative Smile Grows

It comes as a bit of a surprise when Sasikumar really takes to the Cajun at HealthServe, drumming a steady beat on it with one hand and bobbing his head to the rhythm. Very quiet and reserved, Sasikumar is a man of few words, and at first, this character carries into his Cajun-playing. […]

Stuck in Limbo

Injured at the worksite, given no MC, employer refuses to pay for medical treatment, beat up by hired gangsters and forcefully repatriated. Unfortunately this is a common story we hear time and time again from migrant workers. Uddin (name changed) is a 27 year-old Bangladeshi construction worker who has worked in Singapore for […]

Mr. Wang’s Story

28 September 2015. It was raining heavily that day, recalled Mr. Wang, as he reported to his workplace, a construction site in Punggol. It happened very quickly: an unsupported ladder perched on the wet, slippery floor fell onto Mr. Wang, leaving him unconscious. Waking up each day has been a nightmare for Mr. […]

Touched by the Newfound Care

“I am just very thankful to HealthServe and Mr. Chua, as they have helped me a lot since I started coming here after my injury. The people at my workplace did not care much about me, but HealthServe has helped to drive me to the hospital for my surgery and back to Tai […]

Zhang’s Story

I am a construction worker. Singapore was my dream place to work because in my mind the work here would be safer and more respecting of human rights. But under the leadership of a Chinese boss, all changed to become unreasonable and harsh. On July 7, 2015, my life changed.

Wei’s Story

A TRANSFORMED LIFE I came to Singapore with hopes of paying off my debts. I worked hard for 2 months and unfortunately suffered from a work injury. I was hospitalized for 30 days as I injured my head and legs, even my hearing and vision were affected. I was unable to get my […]

Yuan’s Story

Zhu Fu Lin’s Story

More Than Broken Bones

At HealthServe’s Geylang office, it is a common sight to see men, primarily construction workers, on crutches, awkwardly navigating their way through our cramped office. We see arms in slings, fingers deformed, scars that tattoo the skin long after stitches have been removed. There are also many ‘invisible’ injuries – necks, shoulders, legs […]

Going Home Empty-Handed

Sometime in August this year, Liu, a Chinese worker, walked into HealthServe looking lost and perplexed. He had just come from his first conciliation session at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) during which his employer’s representative fished out a document written in English which claimed his pay to be $4.50 per hour. A […]