Another perceived negative
implication of Burmese flight is that the
Burmese are overburdening the local
health system and spreading diseases,
which local leaders regard as a security
issue. To some extent, the Burmese
population is more prone to illnesses due
to their flight and bad working and living
conditions. However, the real problem lies in access to proper healthcare and
treatment. While everyone, in theory, is allowed access to health centers on
humanitarian grounds; in practice, there are many difficulties. First, only registered
foreign workers can benefit from the thirty baht (THB) health scheme, which is a
system introduced by the Thaksin government in 2001 to improve the access of
poor people to hospitals. However, the families of registered workers and nonregistered
workers, as well as homeless Thais, are not included in this system. The
doctors on duty can choose to either treat the patient or not. If they choose to treat
the patient, they can ask for the full cost of the treatment or treat them for free.
Unfortunately, most patients cannot afford treatment and treating them for free
places a burden on the health system. However, the surge in the number of patients
cannot be attributed to the refugees alone, since the introduction of the THB 30
health scheme led to an enormous rise in the number of patients throughout the
country. Even if treatment were free, an illegal migrant population brings additional
problems with it. For example, refugees are afraid of arrests while seeking treatment
and they do not speak the Thai language.
7 This kind of health impact can only
decrease if the policy concerning access to healthcare and treatment changes and
there are some signs that this is occurring. For example, the Thai Ministry of Health
has developed a migrant health strategy, and part of the plan consists of working
with community health workers who can act as liaisons and translators at the same
time