StarHub gives more support to Singapore's migrant worker community

Singapore

STARHUB is extending further support for migrant workers in isolation.

The telco is sponsoring and delivering 500 smartphones to them - answering the call from the Ministry of Health to support real-time patient health telemonitoring using wearable technology.

Paired with wearables, these 500 smartphones will enable healthcare teams to remotely monitor the vital signs of individuals admitted to Community Care Facilities. This will allow early detection of any clinical deterioration in patients and provision of timely medical intervention.

"We recognise and appreciate the migrant worker community for their contributions to Singapore's growth. During these challenging times, we empathise with the prolonged isolation and despair of the workers confined in dormitories and community facilities," said Veronica Lai, chief corporate officer at StarHub. "We want to use what we do best - our connectivity, products and technology - to shrink the distance between the workers and their loved ones, and to enhance quality of health care and emotional support for them."

Over the Labour Day weekend, StarHub heard the calls of the workers who wanted to speak to loved ones back home, and answered it. Ten minutes of IDD talktime was credited free of charge to StarHub's mobile prepaid users from India and Bangladesh.

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In collaboration with government agencies, StarHub has also expedited WiFi network deployment at the community facilities as well as SIM card registration for migrant workers. It is working with other non-profit organisations to facilitate the channelling of public donations towards mobile prepaid SIM card top-ups for the migrant worker community.

The telco partnered HealthServe to sponsor the broadcast of public health SMS notifications in seven languages of the migrant workers, encouraging them to stay tuned to the HealthServe Covid-19 website for official health guidelines and updates.

StarHub also sponsored TV airtime across over 20 of its channels in support of Love Translated, an initiative supported by eight companies. It was launched on Friday by BLKJ, an independent creative agency.

The project includes partners such as Infocomm Media Development Authority and Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes The Business Times. This initiative encourages Singaporeans to send in their well wishes to the migrant workers via WhatsApp, and the messages will be translated into five relevant native languages for the migrant workers.

CEO and co-founder of BLKJ Rowena Bhagchandani said: "We hope that by helping to bridge the language barrier, we can bring the Singaporean and migrant worker communities together like never before. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented unity."

As part of its StarHub Cares initiative, around S$1 million has been raised and channelled towards various initiatives to support the community to tide over the Covid-19 hardships.