COVID vaccines still unavailable to the world, WHO assesses worker situation in Thailand

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a report on "Policies for integrating refugees and migrants into immunization programs, planning and health care delivery at the global level." The report, published on July 12, 2565, indicates that differences and disparities in vaccination policies between countries around the world are due to various factors, including the legal status and age of refugees and migrants, as well as the political and social situation in the destination country.

Most countries do not have a specific policy to provide vaccines to refugees and migrants, and even when they do, there are problems in implementing it. The report cites the example of Pakistan, where there is no clear''health policy for refugees and resettlers, despite the fact that the country hosts refugees from Afghanistan who have been at war for decades. While some countries in Africa, such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia, have policies to provide basic vaccines to all populations without restrictions on nationality and legislative status, in practice refugees and resettlers are still unable to access vaccines due to social and economic reasons.

The report also notes that Thailand has made significant progress in providing health care for refugees, especially migrant workers, who can purchase government health insurance at an affordable price and receive full-fledged''Health care and vaccinations. "Access to health care, including vaccines, is a human right for refugees and resettlers and is important to prevent epidemics and ensure sustainable health development for all people in every country," said Santino Severoni, Director of the Health and Migrants Program at WHO.

The WHO has previously set a goal of achieving comprehensive access to vaccination by 2573 under the Global Program''Vaccination by 2030, with the hope that all people in the world, regardless of nationality, origin and age, will have access to vaccines. As part of this goal, countries need to develop comprehensive policies on access to vaccines for refugees and resettled people, which will help achieve universal health care in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.