Representatives of stateless people on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to allow them access to health care.
Thailand is home to more than 200,000 stateless people, including minorities, ethnic groups and undocumented people.
About 50 representatives yesterday submitted a petition to Government House's complaints centre requesting Gen Prayut's assistance.
They proposed the government give 208,631 stateless people access to free health care.
In 2010, the Abhisit Vejjajiva government launched a scheme to provide free health care to more than 400,000 stateless people undergoing nationality verification.
The government puts 900 million baht into the scheme each year, but an additional 441 million baht is required to cover the remaining stateless people, according to the group.
Members of the scheme receive health-care benefits similar to those under the Universal Coverage scheme, which only Thai citizens are eligible for.
The group's proposal has earned a positive response from Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin and his deputy Somsak Chunharas.
However, the ministry and the group are not in agreement about the number of stateless people eligible for the scheme.
The ministry says there are only 170,000 stateless people, while the group insists more than another 30,000 are eligible.
The group says its data comes from the Interior Ministry.
Wiwat Tamee from the Network of Indigenous Peoples in Thailand appealed to the Public Health Ministry to listen to their pleas and pass their call to cabinet for urgent consideration.
"Health care is a basic right for everyone in the country. Stateless people should not have to wait," said Mr Wiwat.
The scheme is tipped for inclusion in the Public Health Ministry's draft strategy for health-care management which is being written at the moment.
But the strategy has no time frame, raising concerns by civic groups and activists.