Khun Chai (fictional name), an agricultural business owner in Mae Sot District, Tak Province, employs 20 Burmese workers, including both registered and unregistered workers. For workers waiting for registration, he learned about the M-FUND project and decided to enroll them in the scheme and pay for their monthly contribution. He also included their family members under M-FUND.
He said that: “The matter of hiring migrant workers is a sensitive issue in Thailand. I try to register all my employees. However, there are some people, in some cases, that have limitations and it can take time. While waiting for legal registration I decided to enroll my migrant workers who were not yet registered, in M-FUND including their family members. Because when they and their children or wives have health insurance, they will have peace of mind and no worries. It's a good thing for everyone. Then they will be able to work to their full potential without worries.”
It is estimated that up to 4 million migrants work or live in Thailand. In 2022, 87% of this number, or about 2.5 million registered migrant workers were effectively covered by health insurance. However, some are never enrolled or do not maintain coverage. In addition, it is estimated that 1 million migrants and dependents living in the country are unregistered, and they remain ineligible for inclusion under government insurance.