Does the employer have to pay for a domestic helper’s medical expenses?

Yes. According to the Standard Employment Contract, employers must provide free medical treatment and emergency dental treatment for domestic helpers. It doesn’t matter if the injuries or sickness are related to work.

Employers are not responsible, however, to provide free treatment during the time a domestic helper leaves Hong Kong for personal reasons (eg. visiting home).


What does “free medical treatment” entail?

Free medical treatment includes medical consultations, maintenance in hospital, and emergency dental treatment. This is why it’s strongly encouraged that employers take out an insurance policy with full medical and hospitalisation coverage.


Can the employer pick the medical practitioner?

Yes. According to the employment contract, a domestic helper must accept treatment by any registered practitioner that the employer chooses. We recommend that you talk to the domestic helper beforehand about which practitioner they should consult if falling ill.


Who pays for a domestic helper’s dental treatment?

While employers are only required to provide emergency dental treatment for domestic helpers, many employers do help their domestic helper to access regular dental care. Below we list some resources that may be helpful.



Last updated on March 19th, 2024

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Fair Employment Agency is a nonprofit agency. We put a lot of work into producing high quality, accurate and updated information resources because when employers and domestic helpers are informed, they are empowered to make good choices. If you found this article helpful, please consider donating to support us through Fair Employment Foundation, a registered section 88 charity in Hong Kong, which builds social businesses (like us!) to make migrant recruitment fair to workers & fair to employers.

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