The Ministry of Public Health has announced its plans to tackle the shortage of medical personnel in the state sector, aiming to expand the pool of doctors and nurses within the next three years.
According to Government Spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri, these measures could result in a 40% increase in the number of doctors and a more than 50% increase in the number of nurses by 2026.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha earlier expressed concern over the shortage, noting that many have chosen to leave state-run hospitals in favor of less-stressful and higher-paid positions in private hospitals. Recognizing the root causes behind the shortage, the government has initiated both immediate and long-term measures to address the problem.
Anucha stated that one priority task is to divert more medical personnel to the rehabilitation of approximately one million drug addicts nationwide. Additionally, the government aims to optimize the functioning of subdistrict health promotion hospitals, which are designed to provide medical care to people in rural areas, reducing the need for them to travel to larger city hospitals and alleviating overcrowding.
The Ministry of Public Health and the Civil Service Commission, responsible for allocating state-sector manpower, have collaborated to formulate measures to alleviate the shortage. The agreed-upon plan involves cultivating more doctors and nurses over the next three years until reaching the legal cap. By 2026, it is projected that there will be an additional 10,929 doctors (a 44% increase) and 59,885 more nurses (a 51% increase).
The administration aims to relax regulations to allow nurses to be promoted to nurse specialists, providing them with brighter career prospects and encouraging them to remain in the state sector. (NNT)
