Hundreds of Thai workers miss flights due to lack of health insurance

[webfact]

Hundreds of Thai workers miss flights due to lack of health insurance

 

Tourists from Wuhan, China, line up to get a seat on a charter flight returning to Wuhan at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. A group of Chinese tourists who have been trapped in Thailand since Wuhan was locked down due to an outbreak of new virus have returned to China on Friday. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

 

Hundreds of Thais, working illegally in South Korea, have missed their flights to Thailand after they were prevented from boarding by airline officials at the airport in Seoul, because they could not produce insurance cover to the equivalent of about US$100,000.

 

Airline officials say the insurance has been a requirement of the Thai Civil Aviation Office since March 10th, as well as a valid doctor’s certificate to ensure that the returning Thai workers have not exhibited symptoms of COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to their flight.

 

An informed source claimed that obtaining a doctor’s certificate in South Korea is costly, ranging from 14,000-15,000 baht, and it is valid for only 48 hours before boarding a flight.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/hundreds-of-thai-workers-miss-flights-due-to-lack-of-health-insurance/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-03-13

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[JimmyTheMook]

Thai Airways needs to save them and Thailand needs to help their citizens in this time of need.

[Justgrazing]

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

Hundreds of Thais, working illegally in South Korea, have missed their flights to Thailand after they were prevented from boarding by airline officials at the airport in Seoul, because they could not produce insurance cover to the equivalent of about US$100,000

Unfortunately one of the realities of the current situation that the globe finds itself in .. 

[simple1]

My understanding is now a pandemic has been declared one cannot obtain health insurance for Covid-19; OP doesn't make sense. However, one would have thought Thai government would provide support services to enable Thai nationals to return to their home country. In addition, at least here in Australian, Covid 19 travel insurance cover has been unavailable for about one month.

Edited March 12, 2020 by simple1

[bangkokfrog]

Can someone please explain why Thai citizens returning from overseas need insurance cover when they are entitled to unlimited free medical treatment when they get here? If this is a Korean requirement, the Thai government must do something to help them immediately. If a Thai requirement (and yet another example of government stupidity), then same same.

Edited March 12, 2020 by bangkokfrog

[scubascuba3]

13 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

Can someone please explain why Thai citizens returning from overseas need insurance cover when they are entitled to unlimited free medical treatment when they get here? If this is a Korean requirement, the Thai government must do something to help them immediately. If a Thai requirement (and yet another example of government stupidity), then same same.

The insurance requirement doesn't make sense for Thais but the medical certificate does. The rules will need to change quickly

[mtls2005]

Various/sundry Thai "authorities" issued directives effective yesterday (perhaps rescinded and reinstated several times since?) that all passengers (specifically excluding Thai nationals and airline crew) flying in from the danger zones (China, HK, Iran Italy, Macau, plus some I'm forgetting) need to prove $100,000 insurance.

 

Suspect the article writer is confused, or was unaware of the actual "order"?

 

 

 

 

[Grumpy John]

30 minutes ago, bangkokfrog said:

Can someone please explain why Thai citizens returning from overseas need insurance cover when they are entitled to unlimited free medical treatment when they get here? If this is a Korean requirement, the Thai government must do something to help them immediately. If a Thai requirement (and yet another example of government stupidity), then same same.

I thought it was funny!  They need health insurance for what?  Once they are here it's peanuT's at a government hospital for treatment. I think the airline is being an Rs-hol.

[JCP108]

1 hour ago, bangkokfrog said:

Can someone please explain why Thai citizens returning from overseas need insurance cover when they are entitled to unlimited free medical treatment when they get here? If this is a Korean requirement, the Thai government must do something to help them immediately. If a Thai requirement (and yet another example of government stupidity), then same same.

I think this is because Thai people get subsidized, super-cheap care if they are in the system that only comes with having a job in Thailand that carries a work permit and wherein the employer (or the employee) is able to pay the small, monthly insurance fee. Many Thai people have unconventional (though common) jobs such as laborers and food workers which don't have official work permits. If they don't have buy-in with that system, they can still get less expensive care via the government hospitals. But, they pay more out-of-pocket and many Thai people find that prohibitively expensive. 

[steve187]

14 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

I think this is because Thai people get subsidized, super-cheap care if they are in the system that only comes with having a job in Thailand that carries a work permit and wherein the employer (or the employee) is able to pay the small, monthly insurance fee. Many Thai people have unconventional (though common) jobs such as laborers and food workers which don't have official work permits. If they don't have buy-in with that system, they can still get less expensive care via the government hospitals. But, they pay more out-of-pocket and many Thai people find that prohibitively expensive. 

since when does a Thai national require a work permit, you are talking out of something other than your mouth, they are covered under the 30 baht health scheme, no need to have a job

[Borzandy]

2 hours ago, JimmyTheMook said:

Thai Airways needs to save them and Thailand needs to help their citizens in this time of need.

Thai Airway should help Thai people rather than fly empty.

[lockyv7]

this may be the Thai goverments way of blocking all those pesky illegal workers in South Korea returning home, if they get sick in South Korea they will be treated in South Korea. I dont think the goverment wants them returning and this will block most of them from doing that. 

[smedly]

OMG

 

seriously 

 

These are Thai citizens 

[DoctorG]

from Wiki

 

The right of return is a principle in international law which guarantees everyone's right of voluntary return to or re-enter their country of origin or of citizenship. A right of return based on nationality, citizenship or ancestry may be enshrined in a country's constitution or law, and some countries deny a right of return in particular cases or in general.

The right is formulated in several modern treaties and conventions, most notably in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the 1948 Fourth Geneva Convention. The Geneva Conventions, it has been argued, have passed into customary international law and that the right of return is binding on non-signatories to the conventions.[1]

[JCP108]

47 minutes ago, steve187 said:

since when does a Thai national require a work permit, you are talking out of something other than your mouth, they are covered under the 30 baht health scheme, no need to have a job

I am just speaking from my personal experience having a Thai wife (not degree and self-employed) who owns a shop and gets cheaper care via the government hospitals but doesn't get the subsidized care her sister does (with a degree and a regular teaching job). It was explained to me that you get to buy into the national coverage with a job but not as a self-employed person or day worker. Perhaps I have understood it incorrectly. I thought it was the same thing as when a foreign person gets a work permit and then can pay into the healthcare system for that coverage that my wife's sister gets. 

[RichardColeman]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Tourists from Wuhan, China, line up to get a seat on a charter flight returning to Wuhan at Suvarnabhumi airport, Bangkok, Thailand

I thought it funny to read that the Wuhan football team that had been isolated from China in Spain, are now flying back as there is less risk of the virus in Wuhan than Spain !

[rocket3rider]

I'm sure they won't be going via Italy

[steve187]

14 minutes ago, JCP108 said:

I am just speaking from my personal experience having a Thai wife (not degree and self-employed) who owns a shop and gets cheaper care via the government hospitals but doesn't get the subsidized care her sister does (with a degree and a regular teaching job). It was explained to me that you get to buy into the national coverage with a job but not as a self-employed person or day worker. Perhaps I have understood it incorrectly. I thought it was the same thing as when a foreign person gets a work permit and then can pay into the healthcare system for that coverage that my wife's sister gets. 

all Thai's get free (30 baht) in the hospital where they are registered they need to be in a house book in that hospitals area, some Thai's do not live near where they are registered so have to pay at the local hospital near where they live.

[spiekerjozef]

The corona money making business.

[spiekerjozef]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

An informed source claimed that obtaining a doctor’s certificate in South Korea is costly, ranging from 14,000-15,000 baht, and it is valid for only 48 hours before boarding a flight.

How much would that certificate be if you buy it "under the table" ?

[JustAnotherHun]

Interior minister Anupong called it a "misunderstanding". According to him the 100k-insurance for flying in from high risk countries does not apply to Thai nationals.

[spiekerjozef]

1 minute ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Interior minister Anupong called it a "misunderstanding". According to him the 100k-insurance for flying in from high risk countries does not apply to Thai nationals.

He means it's 200k for thai nationals

[mercman24]

would anyone know how much a thai would have to pay to secure a 100,000 dollar policy, that sounds like a lot of baht to me, and add the certificate, we are talking big money surely

[spiekerjozef]

3 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

Interior minister Anupong called it a "misunderstanding".

I must say he has a lot of "misunderstandings" in the media lately.

[PETERTHEEATER]

2 hours ago, Grumpy John said:

I thought it was funny!  They need health insurance for what?  Once they are here it's peanuT's at a government hospital for treatment. I think the airline is being an Rs-hol.

The airlines are reacting to a Thai government instruction requiring ALL passengers destined for Thailand to have insurance! If the Thai government amends the regulation to exclude Thai nationals the airline will accept them subject to ticket payment.

[JCP108]

26 minutes ago, steve187 said:

all Thai's get free (30 baht) in the hospital where they are registered they need to be in a house book in that hospitals area, some Thai's do not live near where they are registered so have to pay at the local hospital near where they live.

Aha, thanks for the clarification.

[jonclark]

Given the updated requirements for retirement visas - The irony of the situation was not lost on me. Especially the implementation of unclear rules by overzealous officials and jobsworths. 

 

I hope that they all get back safely.

[Orton Rd]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

OMG

 

seriously 

 

These are Thai citizens 

Who have been working abroad illegally some for up to five years, try that in Thailand and see how you get treated!

[JimmyTheMook]

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Who have been working abroad illegally some for up to five years, try that in Thailand and see how you get treated!

 

Is the cash stuffed into their socks?

 

[smedly]

4 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Who have been working abroad illegally some for up to five years, try that in Thailand and see how you get treated!

do you not mean - try that in Thailand and see how my home country treats me

 

nothing to do with them