Results of a study on developing health insurance for migrant workers in border areas finds that some are unable to access the service

Results of a study on developing health insurance for migrant workers in border areas finds that some are unable to access the service 

     The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) revealed the results of a study on the health insurance system arrangements for migrant workers working in Thailand's special border economic zone in Tak Province. The study found a gap in the health insurance system arrangements and the health check-up service, which still needs to be revised. As a result, it makes it difficult for some groups of migrant workers to access the service. The research recommends that all relevant agencies collaborate and link their data, as well as improving laws and benefits. These changes will also reduce long-term national expenses.

     Organizing health insurance systems is one of the essential missions carried out by countries worldwide to care for the health of their citizens. Also, in Thailand, apart from taking care of the Thai population, Thailand provides health insurance systems for workers from neighboring countries, which is considered a group that plays a crucial role in driving economic trade and investment. For this reason, the study on the situation for migrant workers in Tak Province reviewed relevant legal documents, regulations, processes, and information systems from central agencies, observed on-site operations of local agencies in the special border economic zone, and conducted in-depth interviews and discussions with 30 people, including managers responsible for bringing foreign workers to work in the border area, and managers of organizations involved in providing health insurance to foreign workers who enter the border area of Thailand using passports and border passes to work in the special border economic zone, either by commuting or staying in rented accommodation. 

The study discovered four critical issues: 

     1) The current information systems have limitations regarding completeness, accuracy, and timeliness, making them unable to operate the health insurance system per the roles and missions of the Ministry of Public Health; 

     2) There is a gap in the health insurance management system for migrant workers between the MOPH and the Ministry of Labor. In addition, there was a change in health insurance management during the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak in the case of migrant workers imported under the memorandum of understanding (specifically the group of people waiting for social security rights) and those covered by Section 64 of the Foreigners' Working Management Emergency Decree, B.E. 2560 (2017); 

     3) There are no medical examination services outside of hospitals, which means that employers encounter the difficulty of bringing many migrant workers to the hospital to receive services;

     4) The expanding health insurance coverage in border areas is limited, particularly among migrants living in remote communities.

     Based on the research results, there is a proposal to improve and amend the Ministry of Public Health's announcement on the health examination and insurance for migrant workers in the year 2020 (B.E. 2563) and the measures for health examination and insurance for migrant workers in the year 2020 in three areas. These areas are as follows: (1) adding migrant workers who enter to work in the border area under Section 64 of the Ministry of Labor's announcement, (2) improving the format of health examination services for migrant workers at workplaces or in communities, and (3) enhancing the monitoring system to ensure that the quality of health examinations complies with standards, as well as accelerating the development of a database for managing and evaluating the implementation of the migrant worker health insurance system, and linking the database with the Ministry of Labor or the Immigration Bureau. 

Source: Royal Thai Government
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