PUBLISHED: 28 Feb 2025 at 04: 00
After the National Economic and Social Development Council ( NESDC ) claimed that providing healthcare to foreign workers cost 92 billion baht last year, public health minister Somsak Thepsutin downplayed the government’s assertion that this figure was closer to two billion baht.
Mr. Somsak claimed that the government spent 2.05 billion baht to supply medical to foreign employees in the nation, including those who reside along the frontier, despite the fact that healthcare spending increased in 2021 and 2022.
When asked to explain the gap, he claimed that the significant change could be the result of incorrect information access and monitoring.
” The 92-billion-baht number is just impossible, given the government’s spending on national health insurance cover for the entire land is only about 150 billion baht”, he said.
With a document 3.8 million care appointments throughout the 2024 fiscal year, according to the most recent statement from the NESDC, there was a substantial increase in demand for medical services from foreigners, especially along the borders.
These surge in visits, it said, cost the government about 92 billion baht– a remarkable rise from previous years ‘ figures– but merely 3.3 % of the overall cost was reimbursed, placing a huge economic burden on local hospitals.
The NESDC reported that border hospitals had the highest increase in foreign inpatient numbers, with foreigners making up one-third of all admissions last year.
The largest portion of the cost, or 81 % of the total expenditure, was made up of Myanmar’s foreigners.
The report noted that many foreigners who are not covered by any insurance still manage to access healthcare in Thailand, which further adds to the burden on public health resources. However, access to healthcare is primarily provided by various schemes, such as the Migrant Health Insurance Scheme ( MHIS ).
Additionally, the report suggested a number of steps to improve the situation, including better resource allocation based on actual needs, encouraging government-to-government collaboration to improve border healthcare, and accelerating the verification of individuals ‘ rights and statuses to ensure they are covered by the appropriate health insurance scheme.