Dao (fictional name), a 65-year-old Burmese woman living in Mae Sot, Tak Province, is among the estimated 1 million migrants living in Thailand who remain ineligible for government or private health insurance.
In February 2023, Dao met the M-FUND team in Maesot and was able to register for health protection under the project.
After only 3 months, she fell and sustained a leg injury. Under M-FUND coverage, she was able to receive healthcare services in Maesot Hospital, one of the 200 partner hospitals of M-FUND. The doctor identified an unusual leg fracture and performed a reduction surgery. However, further investigations were done, and Dao was found to have a soft tissue cancer that extended to bones.
Despite the care available at Maesot Hospital and covered under M-FUND, in July 2023, the M-FUND team was informed that Dao had returned to her hometown in Myanmar and passed away at home.
Dao’s sad story illustrates the critical needs that many marginalized migrants continue to have, in Thailand and other countries, for effective health protection and access to healthcare. While Dao enrolled in M-FUND too late to be saved, she was able to receive the quality healthcare that she much needed.