Border hospitals in Tak face large bills for migrants, stateless people

[Lite Beer]

Border hospitals in Tak face large bills for migrants, stateless people
THE SUNDAY NATION

TAK: -- Five border hospitals in Tak province have to shoulder Bt110 million worth of medical expenses for 12,000 migrants and stateless people last year, the Public Health Ministry has said.

The hospitals are located in Tha Song Yang, Mae Ramat, Phop Phra, Umphang and Mae Sot districts.

Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin visited Mae Sot Hospital on Friday to offer staff a morale boost, hear their healthcare plan and seek solutions to the "problem" of caring for migrants or stateless people who live on Thai soil but do not have access to basic rights.

Rajata said these people were not able to pay for their treatment, and often kept away from doctors, which often made their conditions worse. If they suffered from a communicable disease, it could lead to an outbreak in the community if left untreated, he said.

When this happens, the hospitals are affected as they end up having to shoulder a huge amount in medical costs that is not reimbursed, he said, adding that this problem required an urgent solution. Hospital staff were morally obliged to provide basic healthcare to sick people, he said, regardless of their race or nationality.

He said most border hospitals have to take care of migrants, many of whom are stateless people from Myanmar. Rajata noted that only 20 to 30 per cent of these migrants have health security, because most are too poor to afford the ministry's basic health security package.

Last year, a total of 12,000 migrants, who had no health security, sought treatment at the five hospitals. This cost the hospitals a total of Bt110 million in medical expenses, of which Bt48 million was costs at Mae Sot Hospital, which caused the hospital to suffer liquidity problems. Rajata commended staff at the hospitals for making sacrifices for the sake of sick patients.

In regard to communicable diseases along the border, malaria was the biggest problem, affecting 6,208 patients last year, 60 per cent of who were migrants. However, he said, the number of malaria infections and deaths had dropped by 50 per cent, which he credited to the setting up of 70 malaria screening-and-treatment teams on the Thai side and 700 such teams on the Myanmar side.

The other diseases of concern on the border were tuberculosis (TB), diphtheria, elephantiasis, rabies and sexually transmitted diseases, he said.

From 2007 to 2014, there have been 2,592 TB cases in this border area, 60 per cent of who were Myanmar nationals, he said, adding that a drug-resistant strain of the disease was also found in the area.

A recent health check also showed that 164 Myanmar nationals living on the border had syphilis, two had elephantiasis, while 958 were pregnant, he said. This data, he said, would be used to formulate a strategy for disease prevention and health promotion for stateless people so the number of ill people can be reduced.

As healthcare officials encounter communication problems, the ministry has solved this by getting 1,555 migrants to work as health promotion volunteers. Most of these volunteers, who were trained by the Department of Health, work at the 300 factories in Mae Sot district, while some 500 others are stationed at border villages.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Border-hospitals-in-Tak-face-large-bills-for-migra-30252107.html

-- The Nation 2015-01-18

[DickS]

After having just returned from the Mae La refuge camp and Mae Sot it is very apparent of the acute need for medical services. Mae La refuge camp is very densely populated and prime ground for spread of infectious disease. The recent actions of Myanmar have done little but made the situation worse. The increase in production of heroin and actions towards minorities show what seems to be many steps backwards. One group that continues to provide needed medical services is the Mae Tao Clinic;

http://maetaoclinic.org/

[DickS]

After having just returned from the Mae La refuge camp and Mae Sot it is very apparent of the acute need for medical services. Mae La refuge camp is very densely populated and prime ground for spread of infectious disease. The recent actions of Myanmar have done little but made the situation worse. The increase in production of heroin and actions towards minorities show what seems to be many steps backwards. One group that continues to provide needed medical services is the Mae Tao Clinic;

http://maetaoclinic.org/

[Rhys]

Yikes another messy and fussy situation. Some of the NGO in the Refugee movements are worthy or praise, and then others... the motivation perhaps maybe driven by funding issues.

Refugee, illegal workers, EXPATS... what are not required to have XXX in the bank to take care of the medical needs thus not causing a burden on the over stressed Thai health care system...

Now consider how easy it can be for some accountant, not even that, some enterprising person, to over charge for services for treatment such as long term care, TB programs, acute care...Billions of baht overcharges, a possibility.. Hint and an actual area of reasoning for the cost. A patient receiving long term care, expired, yet the patient's hospital account number is actively being charged." When the billing office / official is questioned... The proud responses: Oh, we forgot to charge the patient....

Yes the Mae La Camps and many of those Refugee camps along the Thai Burma Border are full of well meaning hospital staff and Camp NGO health providers that provide basic health care service, and at times, this causes a perceived jealousy among the Thai locals, oh no..the refugees receive better health care than I do in my little grass shack.. the MDs and supporting staff.....many are FARANG.. oh heavens...FARANG medicine is better...

However, this issue is about at least a decade old..

Another sweep it in the dirt...it will go away..

Thus is health care a right or a public health prevention solution.. Health Watch Mongers, oh beware, communicable diseases can spread... hint..already happening... hint.. don't worker applying for work need to have all the required health check paper work, test, Hmmmm.. even English teachers must submit to syphilis testing in addition the full battery of " required health screenings"

Sound like some in the GO section, need additional funding, and have decided to tap into the REFUGEE/Migrant worker Money Making Machine...

The border organizations (ALL) have a well oiled mechanism for keeping the borders... free following.. Some one forgot to pay off or pay out or paid less.

And forget about UNHCR or what ever.. extremely clueless, driven by theory and I was told... oh a few do actually visit the camps, but many just read reports, and attend meetings and this is the sum total of their intelligence on the matter..

Why do you think the French Refugee organization, one of the best in this area, decided to leave this situation in Thailand...

[Bullie]

I really don't see the problem. It's a mere 2.200.000 euro's (if I counted correctly). Surely the Thai government can easily foot the bill, and show some compassion for a change to someone else than Thai.

[MaiChai]

Surely some of these non Thai residents are working and earning a living? Thus they should be registered with the right paperwork and thus someone (them/employer) paying into a medical scheme?

[Kasset Tak]

Some of my old students comes from those areas and are stateless (Karen). I had classes where 50% didn't have last name or id number. They are hard working and many don't even leave the school (Tak College of Agriculture) during the long holidays but rather work ïn the school or anything/anywhere that they find nearby. So some of them will meet their families once a year during their 3 years in college! .

[BSJ]

I don't understand why Myanmar people are being treated in Thai hospitals. Why aren't they attending Burmese run hospitals on the Myanmar side???

[Kasset Tak]

I don't understand why Myanmar people are being treated in Thai hospitals. Why aren't they attending Burmese run hospitals on the Myanmar side???

Because some of them are refugees from civil wat! And if you see to the hill tribes like Hmong and Karen then many are not recognized as Thai even though they might have lived in the same area for generations! I visited some of my old students home in Mera Mat. Their parents are born and raised in Thailand, they have lived their whole life (some more than 50 years) here but are still considered as Burmese or stateless by the Thai government.

[naboo]

Until a couple of years ago, they were treated by Medecins Sans Frontiers. That was until the Thais realised the care they were getting was better than the care the Thais were getting and made life for MSF very difficult to the point they had to leave.