Policy/Administrative Action
Extension of Universal Health Care to Individuals Awaiting
Citizenship Verification Procedures and Health Care Enrollment
Initiatives for Stateless Students
Thailand sets a strong example in the region and globally by providing many migrants and
stateless individuals with access to health care, an effort which affirms access to health
care as a basic right while also demonstrating the economic and public health benefits of
inclusionary policies.
THAILAND
On March 23, 2010, the Thai cabinet approved a resolution extending access to the
state’s universal health care system to individuals who had a pending application for
their verification as a Thai citizen.122 Another resolution was issued on April 20, 2015,
reinstating the basic rights to public health for a group of approximately 208,631
individuals with legal status and rights problems who had been issued a 13-digit national
ID number. Later in September 2020, the Thai cabinet approved 3,000 stateless students
holding an eligible ID number to be enrolled in the National Healthcare Fund for Persons
with Legal Status Problems.123
Safe Access to Health Care for Unregistered Populations
THAILAND
In Indonesia, asylum seekers and refugees are provided access to community health
centers for medical checkups or to be prescribed simple medicines. Receiving health
care services from these centers is generally inexpensive but may require a UNHCR card,
depending on the center. State hospitals, on the other hand, can only be accessed via
referral and are often cost prohibitive. The International Organization for Migration and
UNHCR implementing partners may cover hospital costs if the individual contacts these
organizations in advance to arrange for payment.
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UND OING PRECARIT Y: ELE VATING P OSITIVE PR ACTICES FOR REFU GEE PROTECTION IN SO U TH AND SO U THE AST ASIA
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