Singapore  - Singapore is considering a health insurance increase for foreign workers following the recent hospitalization of some workers whose medical bills had more than doubled the coverage, it was reported Monday.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he was considering increasing the foreign workers' insurance coverage, citing a case of a Filipino maid whose medical expenses rose to 20,000 Singapore dollars, or four times the maximum.

The maid, who succumbed to tuberculosis, spent three weeks in intensive care unit of a local hospital.

The new coverage amount would depend on the level of increase in insurance premium, he told a local community meeting on Sunday.

Singapore had 757,000 foreign workers and maids last year, all of whom had compulsory health insurance coverage under the work-permit terms. The workers from Asia are mostly employed in the construction and services sectors. (dpa)