The project involves 12 ministries and one government agency with the goal to provide vulnerable people assistance through the six provinces Phuket, Krabi, Trang, Phang Nga, Ranong, and Satun, Social Development and Human Security Minister Juti Krairiksh explained during a visit to Phuket last Saturday (Mar 13).
The 12 ministries and one government agency involved are the Prime Minister’s Office; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Social Development and Human Security; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Defence; Ministry of Tourism and Sports; Ministry of Higher Education; Science, Research and Innovation; Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives; Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour; Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Public Health; and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Mr Juti explained.
All local government administrations (municipalities and OrBorTor) had been asked to report the number of vulnerable people in their areas so that the information obtained is correct, and that effective action could be taken to help families, and especially young children, deemed to be “at risk” of extraordinary hardship, Mr Juti said.
Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong said plainly that the COVID-19 crisis has had a huge impact on the economy nationwide.
He defined the people recognised as vulnerable as:
- People who are suffering financial problems, having insufficient income to make a living;
- People in need of special support as they are caring for children, disabled or elderly family members;
- Disabled people who have no caretakers, no jobs, and no income
- People who could not access to state welfare rights (as they have not been issued a government welfare card);
- Elderly from poor families who live alone with no work and no income;
- People who are physically unable to access free services provided by the government, such as homeless, people with HIV, people with chronic illnesses, people with mental illness, and people who have no health insurance; and
- Indigenous people who are in dire need of help.
“The Phuket Provincial Government has collected information on vulnerable people, in a project that local government organisations across the island have coordinated with, so that relevant government agencies or other private organisations can provide them help with transparency,” Vice Governor Piyapong said.
“The Thai People Map and Analytics Platform (TPMAP) database has been used as an information resource for analysis and planning to help those vulnerable people to receive appropriate welfare support from the government,” he added.
“According to the TPMAP report, Phuket has 4,551 people who are recognised as vulnerable according to the definitions provided,” Vice Governor Piyapong noted.
BAAN MAN KONG
A total of 191 households in the Tha Jeen community in Rassada, on the east side of Phuket Town, and a further 433 households of the King Kaew community nearby have received financial support under the Phuket Provincial Government’s Ban Man Kong Project, Vice Governor Piyapong said.
The project, through the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, is responsible for taking action to help the poor and homeless with “unstable housing” and facing financial difficulty, he explained.
“The project’s main purpose was to help provide them with some money to solve their housing problems, and to help develop the community as a whole,” he said.
Another project to help poor families to cope with financial hardship during the ongoing economic crisis was “Day Care Night Care” project, a coordinated effort by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Education, V/Gov Piyapong explained.
“Currently, there are 44,567 preschool children (0-6 years old), comprising 18,688 children who are in schools, and 25,879 children who have not yet entered any schools,” he said.
“There are still 11,936 children who have been taken into care under the government project Child Support Grant,” he added.
“All sectors, including government, parents, family, the local community and society at large, all play a big role in educating their children so that the children can be given opportunities and a safe environment for their development in all aspects,” he said.