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We must include migrants in UHC.
By Jadej Thammatacharee, Deputy Secretary-General of National Health Security Office
With increasing numbers of migrant workers in Thailand, addressing them in our healthcare system is unavoidable.
The benefit of involving migrant workers in Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) is unquestionable during the coronavirus pandemic.
We have managed to control the spread of the disease among migrant communities, with only 16 migrant workers, all in Bangkok, are infected with the coronavirus.
The number of confirmed cases are considered low when comparing to the International Organization for Migration's estimation of four to five million migrants working in Thailand.
Thanks to the strength of migrant Communities and their collaboration with Thai health staff across the country.
Since 2014, the Public Health Ministry has recognized the role of migrant workers in promoting good health and preventing the spread of communicable diseases.
The ministry started recruiting migrant workers and trained them to perform basic tasks such as conducting disease screening tests, communicating risk, bridging the communication gap between Thai health workers, and migrant communities.
They formed up a network of Migrant Health Volunteers (MHVs), replicating the successful model of the Village Health Volunteers who have worked closely with health workers to monitor and improve residents' health in provincial areas.
MHVs has played an essential role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in migrant communities. They have managed disease surveillance and brought suspected cases to health units, as well as educated their community members about the personal protective practices such as regular hand washing and mask-wearing.
Moreover, the Thai government adopts the principle of UHC when dealing with migrant communities. The principle is; everyone should access healthcare services regardless of their financial status and places of origin.
Not differ from Thais, foreigners including migrant workers can access free COVID-19 testing and treatment. This is not just for protecting them from a deadly disease. It also prevents the spread of diseases from migrant communities to Thais.
Many people asked us how we could do this, especially when we are not a rich country? Our measure lies in two sub-principles of UHC; participation and effective health financing.
We engage migrant workers in our healthcare system through the MVAs model, while we make sure that we can mobilize finance to emergency response whenever we need it.
Every year, our government prepares emergency fund in case the country encounters unpredictable disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic. Part of this fund covers free coronavirus testing and treatment to foreigners, including migrant workers living in Thailand.
Meanwhile, annually, the government allocates the budget for three healthcare schemes---Universal Coverage Scheme, Social security Scheme, and Civil Servant Medical Benefits Scheme---that provide healthcare access to 99.8% of the Thai population.
This budget is distributed to hospital units across Thailand, allowing health workers to act fast when the pandemic looms.
In a normal situation, migrant workers are covered by UHC through a migrant health insurance scheme, introduced by the Public Health Ministry in 2001. The scheme is a voluntary prepayment system in which migrant workers must pay an annual premium to access a range of health services.
From our experience, access of migrants to quality health services guarantees health security and reduce health inequities. Because communicable diseases do not mind territories and races. If one population group is infected, there's the chance that the others will get sick too.
We've learned from the coronavirus pandemic that it is impossible to split health services given to Thais and migrants. We must take care of both so that we can prevent the whole nation from a health crisis.
Author: Jadej Thammatacharee, Deputy Secretary-General of National Health Security Office
With increasing numbers of migrant workers in Thailand, addressing them in our healthcare system is unavoidable.
The benefit of involving migrant workers in Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) is unquestionable during the coronavirus pandemic.
We have managed to control the spread of the disease among migrant communities, with only 16 migrant workers, all in Bangkok, are infected with the coronavirus.
The number of confirmed cases are considered low when comparing to the International Organization for Migration's estimation of four to five million migrants working in Thailand.
Thanks to the strength of migrant Communities and their collaboration with Thai health staff across the country.
Since 2014, the Public Health Ministry has recognized the role of migrant workers in promoting good health and preventing the spread of communicable diseases.
The ministry started recruiting migrant workers and trained them to perform basic tasks such as conducting disease screening tests, communicating risk, bridging the communication gap between Thai health workers, and migrant communities.
They formed up a network of Migrant Health Volunteers (MHVs), replicating the successful model of the Village Health Volunteers who have worked closely with health workers to monitor and improve residents' health in provincial areas.
MHVs has played an essential role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 in migrant communities. They have managed disease surveillance and brought suspected cases to health units, as well as educated their community members about the personal protective practices such as regular hand washing and mask-wearing.
Moreover, the Thai government adopts the principle of UHC when dealing with migrant communities. The principle is; everyone should access healthcare services regardless of their financial status and places of origin.
Not differ from Thais, foreigners including migrant workers can access free COVID-19 testing and treatment. This is not just for protecting them from a deadly disease. It also prevents the spread of diseases from migrant communities to Thais.
Many people asked us how we could do this, especially when we are not a rich country? Our measure lies in two sub-principles of UHC; participation and effective health financing.
We engage migrant workers in our healthcare system through the MVAs model, while we make sure that we can mobilize finance to emergency response whenever we need it.
Every year, our government prepares emergency fund in case the country encounters unpredictable disasters such as the coronavirus pandemic. Part of this fund covers free coronavirus testing and treatment to foreigners, including migrant workers living in Thailand.
Meanwhile, annually, the government allocates the budget for three healthcare schemes---Universal Coverage Scheme, Social security Scheme, and Civil Servant Medical Benefits Scheme---that provide healthcare access to 99.8% of the Thai population.
This budget is distributed to hospital units across Thailand, allowing health workers to act fast when the pandemic looms.
In a normal situation, migrant workers are covered by UHC through a migrant health insurance scheme, introduced by the Public Health Ministry in 2001. The scheme is a voluntary prepayment system in which migrant workers must pay an annual premium to access a range of health services.
From our experience, access of migrants to quality health services guarantees health security and reduce health inequities. Because communicable diseases do not mind territories and races. If one population group is infected, there's the chance that the others will get sick too.
We've learned from the coronavirus pandemic that it is impossible to split health services given to Thais and migrants. We must take care of both so that we can prevent the whole nation from a health crisis.
Author: Jadej Thammatacharee, Deputy Secretary-General of National Health Security Office
