Social Security Fund (SSF) members are being urged to make use of a recently made available free medical check-up service.
Gen Charoen Nopsuwan, deputy labour minister, said the free check-up service provided by the Social Security Office (SSO) will bring benefits to employers and employees.
The programme helps members ward off diseases and maintain good health, while employers will not be burdened by their employees' medical expenses, he added.
He was speaking at the opening ceremony for the new service at a public hospital under the Ministry of Public Health, which also offers the social security scheme.
SSF members have been granted access to free medical check-ups after a medical committee on the SSO's board approved the new service last December.
The SSO said it wants to promote good health and disease prevention among its members. The free medical check-up also includes testing blood, urine and kidney functions.
Under the new service, female members aged 30 to 39 are also entitled to breast examinations every three years. Those between 40 and 45 can have it annually.
Members aged 35 to 54 can have a blood sugar test every three years, or every year for those over 55.
Suradej Walee-ittikul, the SSO's director-general, said scores of SSO members have chronic diseases -- high blood pressure, diabetes and heart problems that require long-term care and large sums of money.
The SSO pays around 10 billion baht in compensation yearly for its members who have chronic diseases, he added. Some of them are preventable, said Mr Suradej, urging members to better monitor their health.