Satisfaction and Impact After Transferring Dental Public Health Missions to Banprok Sub-District Administrative Organization, Samut Songkhram Province

Abstract

Objective: The purpose was to assess personnel satisfaction and impact on stakeholders after transferring dental public health missions to Banprok Sub-district Administrative Organization.

            Methods:  This was a qualitative research. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with a total of 32 key informants between May 2022 and July 2022, together with a search of preexisting documents. The data were analyzed by content analysis.

            Results: Personnel satisfaction after transferring dental public health missions to Banprok Sub-district Administrative Organization were as follows: personnel of the Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital were satisfied with effective supporting of the Sub-district Administrative Organization, the subsidy budget for supporting the health center transferred to the local administrative organization from the Department of Local Administrative Promotion, and advances in the line of work, the right to medical benefits for local employees in the direct disbursement system; but they were not satisfied with the workload of policies or projects that must be coordinated with other local departments and adjustments to the Ministry of Interior's financial and accounting system. As for the personnel of Banprok Sub-district Administrative Organization, they were satisfied with the work that covered dental public health, but they had dissatisfaction with the financial and accounting operations of Banprok Sub-district Health Promotion Hospital. As for the impact after the transfer of dental health missions to the Banprok Sub-district Administrative Organization, people received comprehensive dental health services in the Banprok Sub-district. The negative impact was caused by the inability to supervise, monitor and evaluate the services according to the indicators set by the Ministry of Public Health because it was an agency outside the Ministry of Public Health.

            Conclusion: People in areas where dental health missions are transferred to the Sub-district Administrative Organization receive benefits and respond to dental health needs thoroughly and efficiently. Sub-committee on promotion of transfer of public health missions to local administrative organizations at the provincial level should play an important role by defining Sub-district Health Promotion Hospitals that want to transfer anywhere with a population of more than 3,000 people in the responsible area must have 1 dental health officer. If there is no such personnel, the Department of Local Administration Promotion must support the budget in allocating the replacement rate. Local administrative organizations should have a duty to support the budget for the provision of dental facilities and equipment needed for dental public health services. And dental personnel within the province should have a duty to support and give advice on the provision of dental health services in the transfer area. In addition, the Ministry of Public Health should have a duty to support the development of a program for data collection of dental health services.