Access to Health Care by Migrant Farm Workers on Fruit Plantations in Eastern Thailand

This study was undertaken to elucidate factors that influenced access to health care for migrant farm workers from Cambodia employed on fruit plantations in eastern Thailand.

Data were collected from 861 participants via interview questions and focus group discussions.

The results revealed that 58.2% of immigrant workers were male, averaged 30.4 years of age, and 56.3% had no formal education. In the past year, 28% reported back pain and 25% had joint pain. Most of the workers (89.8%) received health care services at a nearby government health promotion hospital (THPH). From the analysis of factors contributing to the access to health services among immigrant farm workers, the data indicate that the Cambodian workers had few concerns with their ability to access health care services, reporting high and medium levels of satisfaction (with odds ratios [ORs] of 6.19 and 3.94, respectively) versus being unsatisfied. The differences between those who reported significant minor illnesses and serious illness were important, as workers with significant complaints were 3.17 and 4.85 times more likely, respectively, to have sought medical treatment than those not reporting illness.

The main recommendation resulting from this study is that factors leading to higher degrees of satisfaction with health care services by migrant farm workers for preventative care could be improved.