- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: The Public Health Ministry is planning to increase the price of health-insurance cards for migrant workers in a bid to bring them closer to the amount the government provides in subsidy for Thai citizens.
Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Friday (Feb 28) that an initial study concluded that health-insurance cards for non-Thais, which currently cost between 1,600 and 2,400 baht per person, should be raised to 3,650 baht.
The new price will still be 150 baht cheaper than the budget for Thailand’s universal health-care coverage scheme at 3,800 baht per person per year, he said.
He said that to make up for the difference, the ministry will need cooperation from the Interior and Finance ministries, as well as the Immigration Bureau to support the budget.
“We could also ask international organisations for medical support, such as in vaccination and disease prevention, to bring down the cost further,” said Somsak, adding that one of such organisations is M-Fund, which provides health coverage for Myanmar migrants in Tak province.
Somsak added that of around 4 million migrant workers in Thailand, only half are registered under the social security system, while the rest rely on health coverage provided by the Public Health Ministry.
Last fiscal year, the ministry was in deficit at around 2.05 billion baht because of the coverage for these migrants exceeding the price of health-insurance cards, he said.
“This problem requires cooperation from all related agencies to fix, in a bid to alleviate public concerns that migrant workers are taking advantage of Thailand’s public health system,” the minister said. - The Nation/ANN
