Medical Specialist Distribution in a Large Private Hospital Network in Thailand
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This study describes the distribution of medical specialists in the largest private hospital network in Thailand.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted in a large private hospital network in Thailand. The database that contains demographics and clinical practice statistics of 9,909 medical doctors (MDs) who worked at 32 hospitals in 6 groups of the Bangkok Dusit Medical Services (BDMS) network in 2016. Data were collected using case record forms, then were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.
RESULT: Of all 9,909 MDs analyzed, 57.49% were male, and the mean age was 40.20 General practitioners (GPs) comprised 15.53%. The proportion of specialists to GPs varied significantly statistically across network subgroups (p < 0.01), ranging from 96:4 to 83:17. Most specialists (74.22%) worked in urban areas.
CONCLUSION: The private hospital network in Thailand utilized many more medical specialists than GPs. An inequitable distribution of medical specialists can still be found in the private sector, despite more flexible human resource management than in the public sector.
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