Phuket hospitals face B46.46 million in unpaid migrant medical bills
Nearly half of Phuket’s 97,611 registered migrant workers have no health coverage, provincial figures show.
Phuket public hospitals have accumulated B46,462,729.91 in unpaid medical expenses for migrant workers between 2022 and 2026, according to figures presented by the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office.
The figures were discussed at a meeting chaired by Phuket Governor Chotinarin Kerdsom on 10 November 2026. Vachira Phuket Hospital accounted for 75.30% of the outstanding amount.
The province has 97,611 registered migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. Of these, 28,795 workers, or 29.50%, were covered by the Social Security system, while 20,464, or 20.96%, had bought health insurance through the Ministry of Public Health. The remaining 48,352 workers, or 49.54%, had no health coverage.
During the same five-year period, 5,399 migrant women gave birth in public hospitals and 5,369 birth certificates were issued. More than 97% of the women were identified as Myanmar nationals.
The meeting followed public discussion on social media about overcrowding at Phuket’s public hospitals. The large number of migrant workers and transient populations seeking treatment was cited as a contributing factor.
Governor Chotinarin called for coordinated action to address the outstanding bills and prevent further unpaid expenses. Measures discussed included checking migrant workers’ immigration and employment status, ensuring eligible workers are registered with Social Security and verifying their health coverage.
Officials also discussed enforcing employers’ obligations to register eligible workers and checking that their insured status remains active. Another proposal would raise the annual premium under the Ministry of Public Health’s migrant-worker insurance scheme from B1,600 to B3,856.08 per person, based on projected medical service costs for 2025.
The provincial administration said labour, public health, Social Security and local administrative agencies would work to link their databases, track outstanding bills and verify coverage and payments.
