'Migrants should get medical benefits'

The 2010 census showed that 2.7 million residents of Thailand did not hold Thai nationality and that 90 per cent of them were migrant workers, Suphan Srithamma, deputy permanent secretary for Public Health Ministry said at a conference held in Bangkok yesterday.

Also present were members of the National Health Personnel Committee, National Health Commission, a panel on the implementation of the World Health Organisation Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel, and agencies under the Public Health Ministry.

A 2007 study showed that migrant labourers had pushed national revenue up by Bt60 billion per year, not by paying taxes but by helping with the country's economic growth and paying value-added tax when buying goods and services, said Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, a researcher with International Health Policy Program Thailand.

IHPP director Dr Phusit Prakongsai said that because migrant workers were not included in the healthcare system, medical facilities had to bear the burden of taking care of them.

"The current policy about health personnel and budget allocation is only based on the number of Thai citizens, when migrant workers living and working here also need healthcare," Phusit said.

Rapeepong said the ministry allowed migrants with work permits to buy health insurance at Bt1,900 per year, but so far only 520,000 workers had registered.