Alarm bells ring in overloaded Thai public health system as exhausted doctors quit in droves

[webfact]

 

Every year, hundreds of doctors leave the government sector after struggling under huge workloads for relatively low pay and with little prospect of promotion.

 

The numbers exiting the public health service are significant given that the Public Health Ministry employs just 24,469 doctors. Over the past decade, around 450 doctors have left each year, along with at least 150 who have retired from public service.

 

In recent months, several prominent medical professionals – including celebrity medic Dr Napasorn Weerayuttvilai – have spoken up about slavery-like conditions that forced them to quit their jobs at state hospitals.

 

“I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” Dr Napasorn said of her decision to resign. She drafted the resignation after working a night shift then checking on nearly 40 hospital patients on her morning round the following day – only to be told by her senior that she should have worked faster.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/alarm-bells-ring-in-overloaded-thai-public-health-system-as-exhausted-doctors-quit-in-droves/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-06-23

 

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[flyingtlger]

Health worker are some the most important entities in society however many are under paid and unappreciated.  Really can't blame them for quitting....

[stoner]

2 minutes ago, flyingtlger said:

Health worker are some the most important entities in society however many are under paid and unappreciated.  Really can't blame them for quitting....

i often wonder why as a society do not treat these people like absolute rock stars. a guy can make millions from throwing a ball or singing a song. but save a life and expect to get paid in kind......pffft.

[jerrymahoney]

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

Every year, hundreds of doctors leave the government sector

As in the OP they are leaving the public sector. They maybe just will not much longer tell an expat:

 

Don't do your operation at my private hospital -- come see me at the public hospital.

[jerrymahoney]

I have a Chula trained Thai doctor at private hospital here in Thailand who has received training in USA, Japan, France, etc., but is still here in Thailand.

[Joseph98765]

soo...after these 3 years of pandemic, they didn't learn that health system is where they have to invest the most?? Hope new government will realize about it...

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

working a night shift then checking on nearly 40 hospital patients on her morning round the following day – only to be told by her senior that she should have worked faster

☹️

[ezzra]

They should do what others do in similar situations in other countries, go on a protests and a strike and lay the problem and the feet of the fat cats who run this fakakte clowns government.

[billd766]

23 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

☹️

I think that if my senior said that to me, my immediate response would be to tell the senior to get off its arzzze, get out of the a/c office and join me for a months work, keeping the same hours that I work, AND at the same salary.

[h90]

4 minutes ago, ezzra said:

They should do what others do in similar situations in other countries, go on a protests and a strike and lay the problem and the feet of the fat cats who run this fakakte clowns government.

Not only this governments fault...it goes back to Thaksins times and was never really repaired. I don't know how this could be repaired

[h90]

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

I think that if my senior said that to me, my immediate response would be to tell the senior to get off its arzzze, get out of the a/c office and join me for a months work, keeping the same hours that I work, AND at the same salary.

Than the senior fires you..... And you know that the patients suffer even more because lack of people. The problem is that too many people leave the system.

[billd766]

4 minutes ago, h90 said:

Than the senior fires you..... And you know that the patients suffer even more because lack of people. The problem is that too many people leave the system.

And who will the senior find to replace that doctor?

[Des1]

3 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Health worker are some the most important entities in society however many are under paid and unappreciated.  Really can't blame them for quitting....

My girlfriend works at a big international hospital in Bangkok .. it's a <deleted> show how bad staff are treated.. and paid. I have a friend back in my home country who is a nurses union rep...when I tell he what is happening hear she freaks out. Thailand needs unions. Will never happen.

[daveAustin]

3 hours ago, stoner said:

i often wonder why as a society do not treat these people like absolute rock stars. a guy can make millions from throwing a ball or singing a song. but save a life and expect to get paid in kind......pffft.

Yes, they are important, but that guy making huge amounts from throwing a ball or singing is bringing in huge amounts. That is the monetary system for you. These doctors also chose their profession and could shift over to the private sector (which most are simultaneously involved in anyway) for appreciably more money. 

[h90]

4 minutes ago, billd766 said:

And who will the senior find to replace that doctor?

no one...that is the problem they are having at the moment....

[Des1]

46 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

☹️

This sounds familiar. My girlfirend works at a huge private hospital where it is no better than the public ones. Staff overworked, poor pay, quiting ofen. Still they try to claim the BEST service for patients. Eventually, foreigners will come to understand Thailand is not the best location for medical treatment.

[h90]

9 minutes ago, Des1 said:

This sounds familiar. My girlfirend works at a huge private hospital where it is no better than the public ones. Staff overworked, poor pay, quiting ofen. Still they try to claim the BEST service for patients. Eventually, foreigners will come to understand Thailand is not the best location for medical treatment.

"foreigners will come to understand Thailand is not the best location for medical treatment." I think the same happens in many countries....A year ago I was sitting and waiting in a hospital and wondered why the nurses are all young and beautiful.

I asked myself where are the old and the ugly ones??? They wouldn't hire according to the looks? Or would they?

[jerrymahoney]

29 minutes ago, h90 said:

I asked myself where are the old and the ugly ones???

I spent a week inpatient at a big private hospital. Plenty of older nurses along with the young pretty ones. But the hottest of them all was the girl from the cashier's office. WOW!

[Rockhound]

I visited the hospital in Sakeow last week.  There were thousands of people all waiting to see a Doctor.  Every one of them masked.   Probably all still worried about Covidbollocks.

[Ironmike]

Here's an awesome idea,,, how about paying Doctors more money and all the ministers of Parliament less,, what about it boys

[Bim Smith]

Maybe if thais didn't have the need to visit the hospital with the slightest sniffle. If I get a cold my wife says must go hospital.

[kwilco]

Thai doctors are obliged to work in the government healthcare system after training. This is normally about 3 years.

Un fortunately as soon as they can they disappear in specialist areas in private healthcare.

The Thai healthcare system is a mess - doctors are not always trained properly and the hierarchical nature means that doctors are virtually unaccountable.

THe private healthcare system drains the national system of resources and the set up deprives the system of GPs  and general practitioners. 

Of course the healthcare su-sytem needs reform in all areas but the payment of doctors will require government money and therefore taxation. THey also need to reform doctors accountability under law.

 

[watchcat]

4 hours ago, stoner said:

but save a life and expect to get paid in kind.

Perhaps they can't...?

[KhonKaenLive]

The system treats doctors like sh*t and pays them sh*t.

[DavisH]

34 minutes ago, Rockhound said:

I visited the hospital in Sakeow last week.  There were thousands of people all waiting to see a Doctor.  Every one of them masked.   Probably all still worried about Covidbollocks.

So you were the dirty farang with no mask. You really should wear a mask in a hospital....there's sick people there you know LOL

[Purdey]

38 minutes ago, Rockhound said:

Every one of them masked. 

Hospitals are full of diseases. 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“I couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” Dr Napasorn said of her decision to resign. She drafted the resignation after working a night shift then checking on nearly 40 hospital patients on her morning round the following day – only to be told by her senior that she should have worked faster.

Maybe her senior is part of the problem... sat on fat salaries with no idea.

[mikecha]

My partner is a senior staff nurse but gets treated like crap ,

gets planned in night shift but works day shift only cos she has to look after her ma a terminal cancer victim.

but this hospital dont care say just do your work ,

so now she also quitting  23 years of hospital duty in begin covid on the front line ect ect 

it is in a bad way the medical system 

but i also have something i went to the urology  2 times in last month but went to his evening clinic outside of the hospital  standard 1000 baht for ultrasonic  all good now .

 

so 1 October we have will celebrate her leaving this work behind her and start doing things she likes 

to all the nurses and doctor in Thailand you deserve better but u all do your best to help all

good luck hope in the future it gets a little better

 

 

 

 

[dallen52]

Maybe use the time to work on accreditations that actually mean something and demonstrate thier abilities. 

Paracetamol won't fix all ailments. 

53 minutes ago, Reigntax said:

But I’ve seen many groups of nurses treating patients in Soi Cowboy

Ride em cowboy..

[Chongalulu]

1 hour ago, h90 said:

"foreigners will come to understand Thailand is not the best location for medical treatment." I think the same happens in many countries....A year ago I was sitting and waiting in a hospital and wondered why the nurses are all young and beautiful.

I asked myself where are the old and the ugly ones??? They wouldn't hire according to the looks? Or would they?

You've not heard of the placebo effect..? ????