Health

PROGRAM

We protect the human right to quality healthcare for marginalised Burmese families in Thailand.

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What Is The Issue?

Many barriers prevent migrants from full access to healthcare in Thailand. The most common are documentation status, language, travel times, and health literacy.

Our Response

We empower Burmese migrant workers to obtain their right to good health through education, enabling access to primary care and emergency services, and providing support for those with chronic illnesses.

Medical Checkup in the community

Prevention Through Training

We give vulnerable youth at migrant learning centers regular Health classes, educate communities in-person, and produce Burmese language online content to improve migrants’ health literacy.

access thai healthcare for burmese migrants

Access To Primary Care And Emergency Services

Our staff and network of Community Health Volunteers act as first-responders, translators, and patient advocates for thousands of migrants every year.

burmese community volunteers capacity building

Long-term Support

Self help groups for migrants living with HIV, referrals home for injured workers, and patient advocacy at healthcare facilities help maintain good quality of life for those with chronic illnesses and injuries.

Health FAQ

Migrants work in 3D jobs; Dirty, Dangerous, and Difficult. Coupled with the dangers of driving in Thailand, migrants have frequent accidents, and roughly half are uninsured. Migrants also live in substandard housing, with poor ventilation and sanitation, so they have a much higher rate of mosquito-borne diseases, like Dengue fever, and respiratory diseases, such as TB. (and now COVID-19) We also come across many migrants with non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

Most of our activities take place in the Phang Nga Province in Southern Thailand. We sometimes will support migrants in Phuket and Ranong in emergencies, and will happily direct migrants anywhere in Thailand or Myanmar to our partner organizations.

We teach all ages at the migrant learning centers, so it’s handwashing and dental care for kindergarten students, germ theory, exercise, and nutrition for young children, and anatomy, physiology, and reproductive health for teens. In community outreach events, we focus on infectious diseases, HIV/TB, Family Planning, and First Aid.

The average migrant works manual labor and is in their mid-to-late thirties. On the whole, there have been fewer deaths in this population compared to the Thai population. However, migrants live in communal housing, often on worksites, and are the last group to be vaccinated or treated. They often are simply put into quarantine as a community, and left until the virus has infected everyone. Depending on the employer, or lack thereof, migrants may not have received any food deliveries or treatment for weeks or months.

Our Impact since 2016

Bob Forrester Health coordinator

Bob Forrester

Health Coordinator

Hi There! Reach out to me if you have any questions.

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18K+

Burmese migrants received translation and/or case support at Healthcare facilities.

5K+

Burmese migrants received health education.

6K+

Migrants received basic care or first aid from staff or CHVs.

Community Health Volunteer Network

In and around Phang Nga province, Southern Thailand.

Each CHV plays an essential role in providing healthcare to remote migrant communities

These are Burmese migrants that donate their time every week to care for their communities. They are an invaluable asset to our health program. Through specialised trainings we make sure they are our best group of volunteers, and we couldn’t accomplish a fraction of our work without them.

Our CHVs provide Burmese-Thai translations in local hospitals, first-aid treatments in their communities, refer serious cases to clinics and hospitals, share important migrant related updates, help conduct surveys, and are crucial contacts during the Covid-19 pandemic to mitigate outbreaks.

WILL YOU HELP?

All our programs run 100% on donations and grants. Contributing to the Health Program will ensure we can continue to support Burmese migrants in Thailand.

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Interested to volunteer?

We are happy to have you!

VOLUNTEER WITH US

  • “While I was with FED, I expanded my skills beyond previous knowledge.”

    hnin yu
    Hnin Yu
    Myanmar

  • “FED has been helping CHVs for a long time. If FED stops supporting us we’ll have a lot of problems.”

    Ma Cho Win
    Cho Win
    Myanmar