Access to Healthcare and Social Protection among Migrant Workers in Thailand before and during COVID-19 Era: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Thailand is a popular host nation for international migrant workers, particularly those from Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar. Thailand has introduced approaches to protect their rights for health and social welfare, using various mechanisms over many years. However, the implementation of these policies is dynamic and has been influenced by national security, economic necessity, and public health concerns. The aim of this study was to explore how Thailand designs and implements health and social welfare policies for migrants in Thailand, both before and during COVID-19. A qualitative analysis was used alongside interviews with 18 key informants in various sectors in this field. Thematic coding was applied. Results show that there were seven key themes emerging from the analysis, including: (i) sustainability of the HICS; (ii) people dropping out from the Social Security Scheme (SSS); (iii) quality of health screening in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) migrants; (iv) health screening problems and state quarantine management in response to COVID-19; (v) managing the migration quota and dependency on migrant workers; (vi) influx of migrants in the backdrop of COVID-19; and (vii) poor living conditions of migrants and the impact of COVID-19. The majority of interviewees agreed that undocumented migrants is a critical concern that impedes access to migrants’ health and social welfare. This situation was especially pronounced during the second wave of COVID-19 in Thailand, which took hold in migrant communities. In the short term, the poor living conditions of migrants urgently need to be addressed in order to contain and mitigate this crisis. In the long term, there needs to be an improved health system design that includes migrants, regardless of their immigration status. This requires intersectoral policy coherence, including the hastening of nationality verification to sustainably mitigate undocumented migrants.

Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19 [Coronavirus] Global Scientific Research and How it Impacts Workplace Health Management and Health Services, Including Policy Implications

“…A Qualitative Study assessed access to health services among migrant workers in Thailand during the COVID-19 era [Kunpeuk et al, 2022]. An improved health system design and intersectoral policy coherence were considered important.…”

Applications of Participatory System Dynamics Methods to Public Health

“…29,30,34,42,46,47,61,69,70 Subtheme 1.5: Opportunity for advancing equity and justice A major benefit of PSD methods discussed in several articles within this review was the opportunity to advance health equity. 25,28,29,31,[34][35][36]38,42,44,45,47,53,[57][58][59][60][61][69][70][71][72][73][74][75] PSD methods facilitate equity by allowing a diverse set of stakeholders to provide expertise to inform a model and necessarily include the engagement and participation of stakeholders with proximity to the issue being investigated. Community-based system dynamics, a specific approach under the umbrella of PSD, explicitly includes directly impacted populations in the modeling process to combat epistemic violence and imbue the problem-structuring and theory-building processes with perspectives that have historically been excluded from the scientific process.…”

“…A major benefit of PSD methods discussed in several articles within this review was the opportunity to advance health equity 25,28,29,31,34–36,38,42,44,45,47,53,57–61,69–75. PSD methods facilitate equity by allowing a diverse set of stakeholders to provide expertise to inform a model and necessarily include the engagement and participation of stakeholders with proximity to the issue being investigated.…”

Migrant agricultural workers: a comparative analysis of both policy and COVID-19 response in Thailand, Italy, and Canada

“…The Thai government also failed to implement inclusive policies that ensured migrant workers had reliable access to social protection and healthcare, while also failing to provide adequate living conditions. In a study that interviewed migrant workers in Thailand, Kunpeuk et al ( 2022 ) found that many migrant workers did not have access to social or health services and were in overcrowded living conditions. They found that migrant workers in Thailand were “disproportionately affected by COVID-19” (Kunpeuk et al 2022 p. 11).…”

“…In a study that interviewed migrant workers in Thailand, Kunpeuk et al ( 2022 ) found that many migrant workers did not have access to social or health services and were in overcrowded living conditions. They found that migrant workers in Thailand were “disproportionately affected by COVID-19” (Kunpeuk et al 2022 p. 11). For Thailand to reduce irregular migration, effort must be invested to reduce the burdens and costs migrants face when attempting to work in Thailand as well as create more inclusive policies and access to social and health security for migrants.…”