Thailand increases aid to COVID-infected state employees
- Charles Chau
The regulation includes a new set of criteria for disbursing additional financial help to state enterprise employees who were infected with the virus, said Sopha Kiatniracha, deputy director-general of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare.
About 306,887 state enterprise employees will receive extra benefits if they fall ill from COVID-19. The increased benefits will be paid out retroactively from March 5, 2020, when the pandemic was officially recognised in Thailand.
In addition, the new regulation will expedite the reimbursement of funds owed to the National Health Security Office – which runs the 30-baht (US$0.9) universal health scheme – and private hospitals which treat state enterprise employees suffering critical, transmissible illnesses, including COVID-19. It will also raise the financial assistance for state enterprise employees receiving inpatient care from private hospitals.
READ: Thailand approves 42 billion baht COVID-19 stimulus package
Should a death occur from treatment, the employee’s family can claim funeral costs amounting to three times the employee’s last monthly salary, and not less than 40,000 baht (US$1,194).
The regulation was approved by labour minister Suchart Chomklin on July 30. It was then published in the Royal Gazette on August 6 and came into effect the following day, according to Bangkok Post.
