Month: April 2022

JAKARTA— Malaysia and Indonesia on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding on the recruitment and protection of Indonesian domestic helpers (MoU on PDI) in Malaysia.

The signing of the MoU was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Indonesian President Joko Widodo at Istana Merdeka here.

Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan signed on behalf of Malaysia while Indonesia was represented by its Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah.

Ismail Sabri, in a joint press conference with Joko Widodo after the signing ceremony, said the MoU would ensure that all recruitment processes and protection mechanism on Indonesian domestic helpers (PDI) were implemented in a comprehensive manner by the relevant parties, in accordance with the policies and laws of both countries.

“The single entry channel for PDI into Malaysia was agreed upon by using only the single channel system spelt out in the MoU for screening employers to ensure that only those qualified can hire PDI,” he said.

The prime minister stressed that Malaysia had ratified Protocol 29 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as a sign of its commitment at the international level to combat the issue of forced labour, including giving protection to migrant workers from Indonesia.

In protecting the welfare of domestic workers, various initiatives have been taken, including contributions through the Social Security Organisation (Socso) and guarantees on salary payments via e-Wages to ensure salaries are paid not later than the seventh day of every month.

A weekly rest day and an e-complaint application for workers to make complaints online were introduced, apart from other welfare benefits stated in the service contract.

The MoU also paves the way for the re-entry of Indonesian workers in other sectors allowed by Malaysia.

Ismail Sabri said the MoU would bring major and lasting benefits to the people of Malaysia and Indonesia.

The signing of the MoU was described as a significant milestone reflecting the continued commitment of the Malaysian and Indonesian governments in managing the affairs of their peoples.

“As a neighbour, Malaysia always appreciates and welcomes the contributions of Indonesian migrant workers to the economic development and life of Malaysians,” he said.

Ismail Sabri expressed satisfaction with the fact that the MoU had undergone a series of discussions under several prime ministers before this but was only signed during his time.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

In-person visits to all hospital wards1 and residential care homes will resume from 4 April 2022. This comes as the daily number of local COVID-19 cases has fallen, and the situation in our hospitals and Homes is starting to improve.

As hospitals and Homes are settings with vulnerable patients/residents, visitors will have to comply with the safe management measures (SMMs) to better protect the patient/resident.

In-person visits are only allowed for fully vaccinated visitors. However, a concession will be made for those who are medically ineligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Hospitals and homes can make assessments on a case-by-case basis to allow in-person visits for exceptional cases.

Fully vaccinated or medically ineligible visitors are encouraged to self-test before their visit. While there is no need to show proof of a negative test result prior to entry to ward/Home, visitors are encouraged to exercise social responsibility and not to visit their loved ones if they are feeling unwell.

Pre-visit testing requirements at hospitals and homes

Non-fully vaccinated visitors who are allowed under exceptional cases to visit hospitals and Homes are required to show a negative antigen rapid test (ART) result obtained within the last 24 hours of each visit2, administered or supervised by MOH-approved COVID-19 test providers (including tests performed at Combined Test Centres and Quick Test Centres). All tests are to be self-funded by the visitor.

In-person visits at hospitals

For visitors who are non-fully vaccinated, in-persons visits are allowed on a case-by case basis, as assessed by the hospitals. This includes the following patient groups:

Patients who are in critical condition;

Paediatric patients;

Birthing/post-partum mothers; and

Patients requiring additional care support from caregivers. Examples of caregivers include those providing assistance to inpatients who have mental incapacities or family members who are undergoing caregiver training to better care for their loved ones after hospital discharge.

Each patient will be allowed to register up to two visitors for each admission. Patients who are critically ill will be allowed five registered visitors for each admission, with a maximum of two visitors at the patient’s bedside at any one time.

Visitors are to abide by the hospital’s visiting hours. Visitors who are approved to stay beyond the visiting hours, such as caregivers, will need to show proof of a valid ART result done within the last 24 hours.

For such fully vaccinated or medically ineligible visitors, they can perform an unsupervised self-administered ART and present a time-stamped photo of the dated ART result and photo ID for verification.

All visitors approved to enter hospital wards must don face masks with good filtration capability at all times. These include surgical masks and reusable masks that are made of two layers of fabric. Visitors are reminded not to eat or drink in the hospital wards or use the patients’ toilets in the wards. They should also avoid sitting on patients’ beds.

1Includes public acute hospitals, community hospitals and private hospitals

2 Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days of their visit are exempted from the pre-visit testing requirements.

Source: Government of Singapore