Pinay caregiver in Riyadh seeks repatriation due to illness

JEDDAH – A Filipina caregiver in Riyadh is asking to be repatriated after contracting a viral disease from a patient under her care. Leonora (not her real name), a 39-year-old mother of two from Ilocos Sur, said she was diagnosed with herpes zoster last month when she had a medical check-up, prompting the rehabilitation center where she works for to send her back to her employer, the Annasban Group of Companies. Herpes zoster, or shingles, is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Leonora stated that her company offered her medical treatment provided she returns to work, which she refused. She said she prefers seeking medical treatment in the Philippines, rather than working in Annasban where she learned the dangers they are facing due to exposure to diseases and the low salary she received. “Please help me to go home. I’m sick and I want to be with my family. I cannot accept their offers of being given medical treatment provided that I go back to work. I have seen the danger and I don’t like to go back there," Leonora said. Officials from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Riyadh, however, said they cannot force Annasban, a multi-million company operating in the fields of operation and maintenance, to send Leonora home despite her condition unless there is a basis to justify her condition. According to Welfare Officer Nestor Burayag, officer in charge of the Repatriation and Assistance Division, they have to show Annasban a medical report stating Leonora is not fit to work so they can convince it to send her home. “Hindi naman ganoon kadali na mapu-puwersa natin ang kanyang kumpanya. Kailangan natin ng matibay na dahilan na hindi na siya pwedeng magtabaho (It’s not that easy to force her company. We need to have a concrete proof that she can no longer work)," Burayag explained. Leonora said she can no longer bear the alleged insults being thrown her by co-workers. "Paano pa po ako makakapagtrabaho kung iniiwasan nila ako (How can I work if my co-workers are avoiding me," she said. Leonora recalled they were not informed of the condition of their patients when they were sent to the rehabilitation center. “Hindi talaga nila sasabihin ang sakit ng mga pasyente kasi daw baka umayaw kami at mandiri kung malalaman namin (They will really not tell us the illnesses of the patients because we might get scared and back out)," she said. - KBK, GMANews.TV