New ID cards give migrant workers easy access to welfare
Some 700,000 foreign migrant workers registered for Social Security Office (SSO) coverage are now able to use non-Thai identity cards and preliminary “0” identity cards when seeking healthcare treatments at the hospital they named as their primary-care facility.
SSO secretary-general Suradech Waleeithikul said on Monday the non-Thai ID cards and the 0 cards specially designated for undocumented people with registration numbers starting with zero – both issued by the Provincial Administration Department – contain all the pertinent information about the cardholder as well as their photo.
The SSO board on July 18 amended its regulations to ensure foreign migrant workers more convenient access to healthcare and other SSO benefits, he said.
SSO services funded by workers’ monthly contributions and employer contributions cover many benefits including medical coverage, maternity benefits, old-age pensions and compensation for disability and death.
They are available for people of any nationality working in Thailand legally. They must have passports and work permits and make monthly contributions to the SSO.