Victim assistance action points

• Employment, work training, livelihood incentives, and other economic opportunities continued to be areas with the greatest need for improvement for survivors.

• Representation of local survivors’ networks through survivor leaders should be maintained and developed through all levels of coordination.
• Enhance the system for ordering prosthetic components and introduce functional waitlists in rehabilitation centers.

Victim assistance planning and coordination

International commitments and obligations

Laws and policies

The Kingdom of Thailand stated that other legislative measures that guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities include: 1) the National Health Security Act; 2) the Emergency Medical Service Act; and 3) The Persons with Disabilities Education Act. Thailand also revised the Persons with Disabilities’ Quality of Life Promotion Act, which provides a comprehensive legal and institutional framework regarding rights and entitlements for persons with disabilities. The revised act decentralized coordination of essential services to the local administrative authorities, which are closer to communities. Thailand reported that authorities has started establishing more service centers for persons with disabilities in mine-affected areas so as to ensure that mine victims in rural areas have equal access to government services as others living in towns and cities. We also encourage local communities’ involvement in our victim assistance efforts to ensure that services provided to mine victims will be most accessible and sustainable.[2]

Major Developments in 2017–2018

Needs assessment

No specific needs assessment was reported for 2017. However General Service Centers for Persons with Disabilities, operated by any governmental and non‐governmental agencies related to the empowerment of persons with disabilities, including local administration organizations, facilitate the access of persons with disabilities, including mine survivors.

Medical care and rehabilitation

The national community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program remained active in all provinces of Thailand.[3]

The Sirindhorn School of Prosthetics and Orthotics, part of the Mahidol University, continued to focus on research, development, and innovation of devices, applying more advanced technology and testing. It was reported that despite a graduate-level training program for prosthetics and orthotics technicians, the numbers of qualified clinical technicians were still inadequate in 2018.[4]

Disability rights organization reported that there was inequality in access to health services among three health insurance systems: the Social Security Fund, the National Health Security Fund, and the Government Officer Treatment Welfare Fund. There are clear differences among these three funds: the National Health Security Fund covers equipment for various disabilities, while the Social Security Fund covers the least equipment for the disabilities.Every person with disability who could engage in employment is obliged to register in the social security system, which requires co-payment for healthcare services in registered hospitals.[5]

Persons with disabilities in the Social Security System receive benefits only when registered in the category of “disabled person” not able to return to employment. These persons with disabilities have to advance the payment before being reimbursed by the Social Security Office, thus creating a financial burden in case of costly equipment. Those in the National Health Security Fund receive the equipment without any advance of payment and they can freely choose to attend any hospital.[6]

Socio-economic and psychosocial inclusion 

The Fund for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities provides loans for self‐employment for persons with disabilities and their caregivers, this offers opportunities for economic-inclusion activities and livelihoods for survivors.To be eligible to seek support from the fund,persons with disabilities must be registered with disabilityidentitycards. Groups including at least 10 individual persons with disabilities or disability-related organizationscan also apply.[7] The fund is managed by a sub-committee of its management structure, with the DEP as the secretariat, which includes at least seven civil society organization representatives. However, DPOs pointed out that the budget for projects and activities under the fund are mostly spent by government agencies and local administration, compared to that received by civil society organizations. The later received just some 30% of the total funding.[8]

Victim assistance providers and activities