Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Nov 25;1(1):12.
doi: 10.1186/1478-4491-1-12.

Integrated strategies to tackle the inequitable distribution of doctors in Thailand: four decades of experience

Suwit Wibulpolprasert  1 , Paichit Pengpaibon
Affiliations

Integrated strategies to tackle the inequitable distribution of doctors in Thailand: four decades of experience

Suwit Wibulpolprasert et al. Hum Resour Health. .

Abstract

Inequitable distribution of doctors with high concentration in urban cities negatively affects the public health objective of Health for All. Thus it is one of the main concerns for most health policy makers, particularly in developing countries. This paper aims to summarize strategies to solve inequitable distribution of human resources for health (HRH) between urban and rural areas, by using four decades of experience in Thailand as a case study for analysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors determining the distribution of doctors
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of medical schools in Thailand
Figure 3
Figure 3
Numbers of beds and doctors in community hospitals, 1977–2001
Figure 4
Figure 4
Differences between the Northeast and Bangkok population-to-doctor ratios, 1979–2000
Figure 5
Figure 5
Private doctors and beds in Thailand, 1977–2001
Figure 6
Figure 6
Number and proportion of OPD visits at public health facilities
Figure 7
Figure 7
Proportion of rural medical students
Figure 8
Figure 8
Annual output of physicians
Figure 9
Figure 9
Push and pull factors and strategies used
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wibulpolprasert S. Human Resources for Health Development in the Context of Health Sector Reform. A training module for the Flagship training courses in Health Sector Reform. Washington DC: World Bank. 1997.
    1. Wibulpolprasert S. Inequitable distribution of doctors: Can it be solved? Human Resources for Health Development Journal. 1999;1:2–39. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wibulpolprasert S, Ed Thailand health profile 1999–2000. Bangkok: Veteran Press. 2002.
    1. Jindawatthana A, MilintangKul U, Rajataramya B. Future policy options for HRH production in the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand. Human Resources for Health Development Journal. 1998;3:43–54.
    1. Milintangkul U. Equivalence determination of qualifications and degrees for education and training of health professions in Thailand. Human Resources for Health Development Journal. 1997;2:135–147.

LinkOut - more resources