The Public Health Ministry has expressed
concern over a potential brain drain of medical personnel after the launch of
the Asean Economic Community in 2015.
Public
health permanent secretary Paijit Warachit yesterday said Thailand is suffering
from a shortage of doctors and nurses and the situation must be closely
monitored, particularly when the AEC is established in three years.
The AEC
could trigger an influx of patients from other Asean countries to seek
treatment in Thailand.
At the
same time, it could encourage a brain drain of local doctors and nurses to the
private sector here or to hospitals in other Asean countries, Dr Paijit said
during a seminar on trade liberalisation in health services.
The
seminar was held yesterday at Rangsit University in Pathum Thani.
The
permanent secretary said Thailand must also prepare for a flood of foreign
doctors and nurses coming to work in the country.
Dr
Paijit said the ministry and universities would work together to turn out more
medical personnel.
Hospitals
run by the ministry and other hospitals would assess the number of doctors and
nurses needed in the health service sector, he said.
Other
agencies, including the Medical Council, the Dentists' Council of Thailand, the
Nurse Council and the Medical Technology Council, must work out how many more
medical personnel the country still needs, he said.
A
source said Thailand faces a shortage of doctors and a serious urban/rural gap
in health personnel distribution.
Many
physicians work in Bangkok, its surrounding provinces or in big cities.
However,
only small numbers of doctors work in the northeastern and border southern
provinces.
According
to 2009 figures from the Public Health Ministry, there are about 30,000 doctors
in the country. About 10,000 work under the ministry, some 10,000 at medical
schools and other state agencies and the remaining 10,000 in private sector
hospitals and medical establishments.
The
World Health Organisation says an acceptable patients per doctor ratio is
1:5,000. In Thailand, it is 1:7,000.
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