BANGKOK – Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said the Cabinet’s decision not to recruit 10,992 new nurses had been made based on reasonable grounds.
The decision was made not only because the Cabinet was trying to save money but also due to the fact that Thailand has already met the World Health Organization’s nurse per patient ratio requirement.
The Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC), who dictates the number of new civil servants needed for each ministry, found that the Office of the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Public Health was in need of as many as 11,213 new civil servants.
The Ministry of Public Health was then given permission by the OCSC to decide on its own how many available positions would be given to nursing graduates. However, the nurse per patient ratio in Thailand is already higher than WHO’s minimum requirement.
Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn revealed that only 2,621 nurses are needed for the time being.
