nurses on the run, public hospitals in crisis

Of the 10,000 graduates a year, up to 7,000 opt for better-paid positions in health centers for foreign patients or directly emigrate to other countries. The fault lies with low wages and shifts of up to 80 hours a week.

Bangkok () – In Thailand – a country with 67 million inhabitants and a constantly growing elderly population of more than 12 million – more and more medical and health personnel are needed. Not only are the health and care needs of a rapidly aging population at risk, but also the inability to respond to the demand for increasingly qualified medical services.

In addition to having to respond in terms of public assistance, Thailand has long been a hub for medical tourism and faces nursing staff shortages. The hemorrhage is not only directed towards centers where the work is better paid, but also abroad, where the demand is also growing.

Of the 10,000 professionals who leave specialized schools each year, up to 7,000 leave public hospitals and clinics, alleging excessive workload and inadequate salaries. 48.9% of new hires resign in the first year. This increasingly serious situation (the number of professional nurses in 2021 fell to 184,400) has been calling on the authorities for some time to consider it an essential element in the planning of the national medical care system, made up of more than 38,000 institutions, on 35 % of which are public.

On the other hand, the workload, which has already gone from 48 hours a week by contract to 60 and up to 80 hours of effective work in public hospitals, also depends on the shortage of personnel.

Undoubtedly, in the background are individual expectations and aptitudes, but an essential element is the salary: 26,000 baht (about 700 euros) the basic monthly salary. The discontent, however, is focused above all on overtime, which is not only excessive, but also poorly paid: between 650 and 800 baht (from 17.5 to 21 euros) per shift in public service, except for hospitals managed by the metropolitan administration of the capital, where it amounts to 1,200 baht.

Photo: Flickr/UN Women Asia & Pacific