The Ministry of Public Health says its Health Insurance for Non-Thai People (Hint) system will debut on Jan 1, allowing stateless and non-Thai people to get access to healthcare coverage.
Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has a policy to improve access to healthcare in border areas, especially among non-Thai groups, said Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, the ministry’s acting deputy permanent secretary.
The Hint system offers quick registration, with processing time of just five minutes, compared with a few weeks under the old system. It also allows non-Thai people who do not hold identification documents to register for treatment and coverage.
The system is linked with the ministry’s financial data hub, which will enable hospitals to reimburse medical fees of non-Thais within 24 hours and can guarantee transfers in 15 days.
Dr Direk Sutdan, director of the Division of Health Economics and Health Security, recently visited hospitals in Chiang Rai province to follow up on the effectiveness of the Hint system.
He and Aree Moungsookjareoun, a border and migrant health officer with the World Health Organization, also spoke with non-Thai people who had experienced a lack of public health access in tambon Wiang Phang Kham in Mae Sai district.