State hospitals face medical staff shortage, overwork

Thailand’s state hospitals are being hard hit by a shortage of medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, dentists, radiologists and other personnel. Some current staff are overloaded, forcing doctors in at least nine hospitals to work more than 64 hours a week.

According to the Medical Council, there are 50,000-60,000 doctors working in Thailand. Of these, 24,600 work in state hospitals and are responsible for 45 million Thais covered by the universal health care system, or 70 % of Thailand’s population. Most doctors are concentrated in Bangkok.

The Ministry of Public Health has been trying to reduce the workloads of doctors and other medical staff, but without much success due to the shortage of manpower, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past three years, over 450 doctors have resigned from state hospitals, many of them moving to work in private hospitals, which are less taxing and offer better compensation. Another 200 doctors have retired.