What is in place?
What is in place?
Following the global economic and financial crisis, global initiatives such as Social Protection Floor was established by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board to promote access to essential services and social transfers for the poor and vulnerable. Realising the importance of the issues, the Minister of Labour of Thailand, Mr. Chalermchai Sri-orn, has participated in the 99th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland in June 2010, and has presented Thailand’s role in the extension of social security and the protection of the informal economy labour force.
In the recent decades, Thailand’s economy has progressed remarkably, resulted in the contribution to a sharp drop in poverty levels and socio-economic development. For instance, health care system as one component of the Social Protection Floor has been developed considerably to extend the services to most of the vulnerable people in the country. Thanks to the achievements to date, Thailand is expected to achieve most of the Global millennium Development Goals well in advance of 2015.
The Royal Thai Government (RTG) has developed and implemented different initiatives to promote social protection to close the poverty gap and reduce inequalities. Moreover, the government has currently put forward the policy of welfare society and has proposed the plan of Construction of Welfare Society within B.E. 2560 (2017). Social protection has also been chosen as the theme of the 11th five-year National Economic and Social Development Plan.
Yet, challenges remain: all Thai citizens still do not effectively benefit from basic adequate social protection.The majority of the labour force belongs to the informal economy, in which social protection coverage remains low. Income security programmes for the poor or near-poor have been rather insufficient to manage a decent life of the beneficiaries.
What are the main social protection schemes in Thailand? (For more details on each scheme, please click here)
| Population | Programme | Benefits |
| Children | Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) | Provides health care coverage to all Thai citizens who are not covered by any other public health protection schemes. Comprehensive benefit package: curative services, health promotion and disease prevention services, rehabilitation services, and service provided according to Thai traditional or other alternative medical schools. The benefits include in-patient and out-patient treatment, maternity care, child births, necessary dental care including acrylic denture, preventive care, and emergency care. |
| Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS) | Government officials and dependents are eligible for the benefits. The benefits include in-patient and out patient treatment without the provided the hospital care is provided in a public hospital | |
| 15 Years Free Education | The government supports the following: tuition fees, textbooks, uniforms, learning materials, and learning activities for student’s development (for uniforms and learning materials- the government provides cash directly to students) | |
| Child Allowance (Social Security Fund, SSF) | The beneficiary in the Social Security Fund system receives 350 baht per month to support a child who is under 6 years old (less than 2 children at a time) | |
| Working Age | Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) | Same as above |
| Workmen’s Compensation Fund (WCF) | The benefits include sickness, disabilities, death, and survivor’s benefits. | |
| Social Security Fund (SSF) | The benefits include sickness, maternity, invalidity, death and unemployment, old-age benefit, and child allowance. | |
| Government Pension Fund (GPF) | Acts like a provident fund, but the membership is limited to government officials | |
| Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS) | Same as above (also include government pensioners and their dependents) | |
| Old Age | Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) | Same as above |
| Private-School Teacher’s Welfare Fund (PSTWF) | Provides a provident fund, saving, financial assistance and welfare benefits to a private school’s director, teachers, and staff. | |
| Provident Funds | On retirement, employee receives a lump sum composed of his/her contribution, the employer’s contribution and the investment income. | |
| Social Security Fund (SSF) | Old-age benefit | |
| 500 Baht Universal Pension Scheme | All elderly (over 60 years old) who are not in elderly public facilities or do not currently have an income permanently are eligible to receive 500 Baht pension every month. | |
| Vulnerable population | Social Assistance (to children, disadvantaged women, the elderly, the disabilities, the homeless, the beggars, persons on low incomes, ethnic minorities, families in need, and victim of disaster) | Focus on counselling, training, assistance in kind, and emergency accommodation. |