Ministry orders strict health screening of migrant labourers
Move follows complaints about doctor certificates being issued without physical examination
The Public Health Ministry has ordered all private hospitals and clinics to strictly follow regulations and standards in health and disease screening for migrant workers in a bid to prevent dangerous contagious diseases from spreading into the kingdom.
The move came after the Department of Health Service Support received complaints that some establishments had issued doctor certificates to migrant labourers without actually performing the physical examination, Dr Panuwat Panket, the department’s director-general, said on Friday.
He pointed out that the screening was important to prevent diseases that had been eradicated from Thailand from resurfacing again with migrant workers as carriers. These diseases include lymphatic filariasis and leprosy.
According to the ministry’s regulations, establishments that can legally issue doctor certificates to migrant workers must have a laboratory certified by the Department of Health Service Support, an X-ray machine and certified technicians, and board-certified doctors who are specialised in diseases of which patients are prohibited to work in Thailand.
Panuwat warned that hospitals or clinics found violating these regulations could face up to a year of imprisonment or up to 20,000 baht fine, or both, under the Health Facility Act of 1998. They could also face temporary closure, he added.
