Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - Tuesday 12 March 2002
She chaired a meeting of hospital directors and provincial public health chiefs yesterday to work out strategies to control the spread of epidemics among alien workers in Thailand.
Mrs Sudarat said she would use information from the meeting to seek cabinet support for stricter measures on birth control and the spread of communicable diseases.
"Ministry officials were asked to take serious action on three issues for registered alien labour," the minister said.
"Medical checkups to find those infected with serious contagious diseases to allow deportation; those not seriously ill to be treated until they recover; and all provinces to be asked to ensure accurate information about alien labour."
Mrs Sudarat said health agencies must inform provincial employment offices about alien workers who were addicted to drugs or were carriers of any of the seven serious communicable diseases.
The forbidden diseases for work permit renewal for aliens included tuberculosis, leprosy, elephantiasis and syphilis.
Dr Wallop Thainua, Director-General of the Communicable Disease Control Department, said more than half of the alien workers in Thailand were found to be drug addicts and must be sent home.
The department would push for Aids tests on aliens and seek co-operation from employers to send Burmese workers for elephantiasis checkups, he said.
During the work permit renewal period, registered Burmese, Lao and Cambodian workers must report to the authorities to have their six-month work permits renewed.
Every year, more than 15,000 children of alien labourers are born in Thailand.
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