About 60 domestic helpers in Hong Kong fired over critical illness since 2020: NGOs

About 60 domestic helpers in Hong Kong diagnosed with cancer or other critical illnesses have been illegally fired by their employers due to their condition since 2020, support groups have said.

The organisations on Sunday also urged the government to extend public healthcare coverage to domestic helpers who were pursuing discrimination cases after having their employment terminated.

“The reality is most of the employers are not supporting their domestic workers when they’re in their darkest hour,” said Rowena Borja, the secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions.

Another group, the Filipino Migrants Cancer Support Society Hong Kong, said it had documented 195 cases of domestic helpers being diagnosed with cancer or other critical illnesses during their employment since 2020.

Of those cases, an estimated 30 per cent had been illegally terminated by their employer due to their illness.

Dhay Dhay*, Filipino domestic worker in her fifties, was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in 2020 and, later, thyroid cancer.