According to the Division of Tuberculosis, there are 111,000 cases of tuberculosis in Thailand each year, but only 72,274 are registered for treatment. The remaining 38,726 cases are unreported/undiagnosed, with the latest data showing that up to 13,700 people die from tuberculosis each year.
Despite Thailand transitioning from the list of countries with high TB burden rate, and a trend of declining incidence of tuberculosis over the past 10 years, TB remains a public health problem in Thailand that needs to be tackled urgently.
World Vision Thailand has implemented TB programs for over 20 years in Thailand, and while we have seen the incidence rate decline over that time, TB still remains an important public health problem in Thailand, especially for vulnerable migrants who struggle to access health care services. WVFT implements the HIV and TB programs following national strategies through the RRTTPR approach: Reach, Recruit, Test, Treat, Prevent and Retain Continuous Care. To overcome issues of equitable access, stigma and discrimination for migrants, WVFT has been a key stakeholder in the development of migrant health volunteers to reach vulnerable migrant populations and support migrants access of public health services in Thailand. This network of over 500 MHVs across Thailand enables vulnerable migrants and other mobile populations to access health services without discrimination.
MHVs are the eyes, the mouth, the ears and the main force to End tuberculosis.
Migrant Health Volunteers (MHVs) are a critical component of both programs, reaching migrant and other mobile communities, to ensure they access health care and other services.
Anucha Morpa, Project Coordinator, Chiang Rai Province said “If you want to compare MHVs as an organ in the body, it is like an eye that looks and watches, a mouth that informs about incidents, an ear that listens to the problems of migrant brothers and sisters, and jointly finds solutions to problems for the community”
Mol, 46 years old, MHV Chiang Rai said “If we find a sibling with a communicable illness such as tuberculosis, we inform the authorities, bring them into the treatment process, have the opportunity to work with the staff to educate the brothers and sisters in the community, and another pride is to help mentor and direct the medication of TB patients in the community. We remind them to take their medication on time. Taking medicine on time is very important. If medication is not taken on time, treatment is ineffective, and drug-resistant tuberculosis may develop.”
Mi Chu, 32 years old, another MHV who see this as an opportunity to do good for others. “Being a volunteer during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming an MHV was not exhausting, but it was fun and I gained new experiences and knowledge to improve myself. Especially if we have the opportunity to help people in need. We are even more proud and happy in our work.”
Tuberculosis can be cured. Tuberculosis patients should not be feared or discriminated against.
“It’s nice to be helped. If you don’t get help, you might die. In the past, WVFT came to help, including taking patients to treatment, giving advice, encouragement, supporting travel expenses for medical treatment, and also receiving assistance for tuberculosis testing costs for their children because they are considered a vulnerable group and are not entitled to medical expenses. Now I have taken almost all my medications. All the tuberculosis symptoms have disappeared,” Kan Nuan, a TB patient receiving assistance from the STOP Tuberculosis and AIDS Project.
“World Vision Thailand is like a companion in times of fear, a help when we can’t see anyone. It’s peace of mind and not isolation,” said Yin, a Myanmar migrant who was diagnosed with tuberculosis and received help from the Stop Tuberculosis and AIDS Project.
Yes, we can End TB!
The Stop Tuberculosis and AIDS through RRTTPR Project supported by the Global Fund continues to work with migrant health volunteers. They continue to selflessly strive to ensure equal access to rights and health services for fellow migrant people and ethnic groups, without discrimination or stigmatization.
In 2023, World Vision Thailand’s TB-targeted projects under “Stop TB and AIDS through RRTTPR 2021-2023: STAR3 (RRTTPR)” and “Tuberculosis Elimination Among Migrant 2 (TEAM2)”, funded by The Global Fund, and PR-Raks Thai Foundation and PR-IOM, were implemented in 8 provinces, including Chiang Rai, Tak, Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Sa Kaeo, Ranong and Phuket
In 2023, World Vision Thailand has promoted TB and AIDS prevention and basic health knowledge to more than 64,000 migrants. 2,472 at-risk people were referred for diagnosis, of which 493 were patients with tuberculosis (referrals from communities and hospitals). In addition, to promote good basic health. World Vision Thailand, under the End Tuberculosis and AIDS Project, has also established community service centers and community health centers as easy-to-access service points for migrant populations. There are 61 operating areas nationwide.
