Ministry of Public Health overhauls system to curb rural doctor shortage

The Ministry of Public Health is to overhaul the system for the distribution of doctors on medical scholarships, who are required to fulfil mandatory return services, to resolve the medical manpower shortage in rural areas, according to Dr. Somruek Chungsaman, permanent secretary of public health.

Thai medical doctors on scholarships are divided into two groups. The first group consists of doctors under the ‘Cooperative Project to Increase Rural Doctors’ (CPIRD) program. They are required to return to their home provinces to complete their return services for at least three years.

The second group comprises doctors not under the CPIRD program.

Dr. Somruek pointed out that the shortage of doctors in Thailand does not only stem from a lack of new medical graduates, an average of 2,800 per year, but also from the uneven distribution of doctors in urban and rural areas.

Of the 2,800 graduates in medical science each year, 2,000 enter the public health system and the rest enter private healthcare.

Of those entering the public health system, Dr. Somruek said between 600 and 900 leave, including those who have fulfilled their return service obligations, to work in private hospitals due to better remuneration and fringe benefits.

To address this problem, he said that graduates on medical scholarships, whether they are under CPIRD or not, will be evenly distributed to rural hospitals and CPIRD doctors can be sent to work in any rural hospital which experiences a shortage, instead of in their home provinces.

Moreover, he disclosed that the ministry will reduce the working hours of doctors to no more than 40 per week to ease their workload, arrange for senior doctors to provide consultations to younger doctors and improve the patient transfer system to further ease the workload on young doctors.

He also said that the ministry is considering a monthly pay rise of between 20,000 and 30,000 for doctors working in community hospitals, as well as providing them with opportunities to receive short-term training in specific medical fields to increase their skills.

With increased incentives, an improved working environment and reduced workload, he hopes that the shortage of medical staff in the public health system will be gradually eased.