Staff at Samut Sakhon Hospital explain medications to a migrant worker undergoing a medical checkup as part of the labour registration process in the province adjacent to Bangkok. (source:bangkokpost.com)

Bangkok – Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has announced that its Health Insurance for Non-Thai People (Hint) system will debut on January 1, 2024, allowing stateless and non-Thai people to get access to healthcare coverage.

Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, the ministry’s acting deputy permanent secretary, said the Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has a policy to improve access to health care in border areas, especially among non-Thai groups.

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.