Job injury fund set to be increased

The per-course SSO subsidy for occupational rehabilitation will be increased from Bt20,000 to Bt30,000, and for per-injury physical rehabilitation from Bt20,000 to Bt24,000, while Bt160,000 would be allocated for prosthetic limbs and relevant equipment from the no-ceiling designated at present, permanent secretary Somkiat Chayasriwong said.

About Bt35,000 has been allocated for the treatment of work-related injuries, with a maximum of Bt50,000 allowed if further treatment is necessary, he said. In addition, victims of work-related injuries will be allowed between three days and up to a year’s leave as recommended by doctors at 60-per-cent pay. 

In addition, the dependants of those forced to take leave, or those who have lost limbs, are disabled or killed from work-related problems, will be paid up to Bt9,000 a month. 

All reimbursements for treatment need to be made within 90 days, and beneficiaries should be able to claim these payments by just presenting their identity cards. The SSO board should approve the plan in the next few weeks, he added. 

Citing a ministry record, Somkiat said 149,436 workers had sustained work-related injuries, 597 had lost their lives, eight been disabled and another 2,383 lost their limbs in 2010. The figures for last year were 126,688, 551, 13 and 2,285 respectively, showing a slight decrease overall.