Health workers’ preferences and policy interventions to improve retention in rural areas in Thailand

Abstract

Because the health workforce is a crucial component of the health system, a shortage of health workers could negatively affect health outcomes. The shortage of doctors and nurses in rural areas is a recurring concern in Thailand. While the demand for health care services has grown, public sector doctors and nurses have been lost to the private sector and, at the same time, the number of those working in rural health facilities has declined. Significant attention has been focused on strategies to address the problem, but it is not clear which policy interventions would be most effective. This study set out to examine the job preferences of newly graduated doctors and nurses to identify effective policy interventions that could improve the recruitment and retention of doctors and nurses in rural areas.

Citation

Pagaiya, N.; Sriratana, S.; Tangchareonsathien, V.; Noree, T.; Lagarde, M. Blaauw, D. Health workers’ preferences and policy interventions to improve retention in rural areas in Thailand. (2011) 57 pp.

Health workers’ preferences and policy interventions to improve retention in rural areas in Thailand

Published 1 January 2011