Public Health Ministry to revoke 300,000 illegal health certificates for migrant workers

41 unlicensed hospitals under investigation

Deputy Minister of Public Health Chaichana Dechdecho on Tuesday said the ministry would revoke up to 300,000 medical certificates issued by 41 private hospitals to migrant workers, as these hospitals have not yet received operating licences from his ministry.

He explained that of the 82 hospitals registered with the Department of Employment to issue health certificates for migrant workers, half were still operating without a Public Health Ministry licence.

Invalid certificates affect migrant workers’ legal status

Chaichana said the medical certificates issued by the 41 unlicensed hospitals must be regarded as unlawful. As a result, migrant workers holding these documents cannot use them to register legally for employment in Thailand.

The ministry estimates that the unlicensed hospitals have issued between 200,000 and 300,000 certificates. These include about 45,000 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon and 10,000 in Pathum Thani.

Legal action against hospitals and doctors

Chaichana confirmed that both the hospitals and the doctors who issued the unlawful certificates would face retroactive legal action. Offenders could face up to one year in prison and/or a fine of 20,000 baht.

He further warned that if doctors knowingly signed certificates for hospitals without proper authorisation, they risk having their medical licences permanently revoked.

Ministry aims to prevent future disease outbreaks

Chaichana stressed that the crackdown was necessary to protect public health, as allowing unregulated medical certificates could increase the risk of communicable disease outbreaks among migrant worker communities in Thailand.