Israel a new graveyard for migrant workers

A team of medical doctors and nurses has gone to Israel on a mission to provide Thai migrant workers with health screenings as concern grows about the high death rate of Thai workers there in recent years.

The team, consisting of 11 doctors and nurses, started working on Tuesday and will continue until tomorrow, Labour Minister Adul Sangsingkeo said.

In addition to a general medical checkup, the team is offering a screening test for sudden unexpected death syndrome (SUNDS), a leading cause of death for Thai workers in Israel, he said.

The SUNDS test involves mainly the use of electrocardiography (EKG), a process recording the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time using electrodes placed over the skin.

The medical team is focusing on geographical areas where Thai workers died of SUNDS, said Pol Gen Adul.

The team is also surveying the living conditions of workers as part of their SUNDS inquiries.

A total of 24,746 Thai workers are now in Israel, working mostly in the agricultural sector, in which the minimum pay is about 47,000 baht a month, he said.

The minister insisted the ministry has a proper mechanism in place to protect the rights of Thai workers in Israel.

Last year, the ministry helped Thai workers there who were being treated unfairly by their employers or job brokers.

Over 47 million baht in combined damages has been paid out from various disputes, he said.

The labour section of the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv now serves as the main body handling complaints received from Thai workers, Pol Gen Adul said.

A representative of the Department of Health, speaking on Wednesday at a meeting called by the ministry, said most Thai workers in Israel are overworked, with too little rest, adding they live in overcrowded places and many develop drinking problems.

He cited information compiled in surveys by joint teams of the department’s medical staff and Thai embassy officials in Israel over the last three years.

Common health problems included obesity, muscle pain, backache and stress associated with debt problems, he said.

Phetcharat Sin-auy, director-general of the Department of Employment, said 30, 26, 11,and 24 Thai workers died while working in Israel’s agricultural sector from 2015 to this year, respectively.