House maids need periodical physical and mental health checks - Experts

Employers should ensure their house maids undergo periodical physical and mental health checks to prevent any untoward incidents. House maids should also go through a psychological evaluation before being accepted by employers into their homes, said clinical psychiatrist consultant Datuk Dr Mat Saat Baki.

Apart from ensuring the quality of their work, such checks would determine if they were facing problems or need treatment and counseling, he said.

"Changes in their behaviour cannot be taken lightly. If a house maid is sad or depressed, it's the responsibility of the employer to seek medical advice and find out the cause," he told Bernama, Wednesday.

Dr Mat Saat was commenting on the case of two boys, an 18-month-old toddler and a five-year-old who were allegedly killed by their house maid before she committed suicide at Taman Sri Putra, Sungai Buloh, Wednesday.

He said the incident may have been due to depression, previous mental health problems, stress or problems with the employer.

Another psychiatrist Dr Fadzil Man, from the Malaysian Psychiatrist Association, was of the opinion that in most cases the suspects had a history of mental illness or were under the influence of drugs.

"Some of them may even hear strange voices ordering them to do something beyond their control," he said.

Meanwhile, employment agency TM Meda Sdn Bhd's administrative manager Syima Azmi, 42, said employers should always hire certified maids who have undergone compulsory training for 200 hours in their country of origin before coming to Malaysia.

She advised employers to obtain maids from registered agencies which were responsible in ensuring they recruited healthy candidates.

Prior to this incident, on June 24 2013 an Indonesian maid killed her employer Che Siah Wan Nik, 75, at her home in Taman Serindit, Jalan Langgar, Alor Setar.

And in Dec 7 2010, Wilfrida, 23, of Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia was charged with murdering her employer Yeap Seok Pen, 60, in Kampung Lubok Tapah, Pasir Mas, Kelantan.