People have to work odds and ends jobs to earn a couple of hundred baht. Without the drug, they can't stay awake when they have to work on a night shift. This is the conundrum that these people have to face-take the pills and work more or leave the family with empty stomachs. These low-income people are not only inclined toward drug abuse but also to arthritis and muscle problems due to inadequate attention to safety in the work place. Complaints about backache and sore necks are quite common among the working age group here because they engage in labour-intensive jobs that lack proper ergonomic features.
Joint pains are also very common among the elderly.
Ankana had seen a doctor previously in a public hospital, but the problem persisted. I don't have enough money to pay that much every time I visit the doctor. That's why I am applying for health security card but it takes a long time to get one. In fact, no one told her that since she is over 60, she has the right to free hospital care in any public hospital in Thailand. The government provides this welfare to all senior citizens.