Yingtaweesak Tawatchai, Yoshida Yoshitoku, Hemhongsa Pajjuban, Hamajima Nobuyuki, Chaiyakae Sonngan
Nagoya J Med Sci. 2013 Aug;75(3-4):243-50.
Accessibility to health care services in Thailand is generally good, but a few areas in the country are difficult to reach. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accessibility of health care services in rural and remote areas of Thailand. It was conducted in 16 remote villages within a catchment area with a primary health care post. The health care post staff interviewed 394 respondents (197 males and 197 females) using a structured questionnaire. Most respondents utilized primary health care posts (98.5%) and medical institutes. Most of the respondents were Karen, had low incomes, and were illiterate. However, they had health insurance. Most of them took more than 30 minutes to travel from home to their primary health care post (60.9%), and took more time in the rainy season than in the dry season. Moreover, it took more than 2 hours for them to travel to the nearest hospital from their residences (64.5% in the dry season and 84.5% in the rainy season). They also paid more for medical services, travelling and food on the way to the hospital. Not only primary health care posts, but also many other medical institutes provided health care services in the villages. In conclusion, based on the results of this study, primary health care posts in remote areas are necessary to ensure the residents' healthy lives. Therefore, improvement of the quality and accessibility of primary health care posts should be considered as the top priority.
泰国的医疗服务可及性总体良好，但该国一些地区难以到达。本研究的目的是调查泰国农村和偏远地区的医疗服务可及性。研究在一个设有初级卫生保健站的集水区内的16个偏远村庄进行。卫生保健站工作人员使用结构化问卷对394名受访者（197名男性和197名女性）进行了访谈。大多数受访者利用初级卫生保健站（98.5%）和医疗机构。大多数受访者是克伦族，收入低且文盲。然而，他们有医疗保险。他们中的大多数人从家到初级卫生保健站需要花费30多分钟（60.9%），雨季花费的时间比旱季更长。此外，他们从住所前往最近医院需要花费2个多小时（旱季为64.5%，雨季为84.5%）。他们在前往医院的途中还在医疗服务、交通和食物方面花费更多。不仅初级卫生保健站，许多其他医疗机构也在村庄提供医疗服务。总之，根据本研究结果，偏远地区的初级卫生保健站对于确保居民的健康生活是必要的。因此，应将提高初级卫生保健站的质量和可及性视为首要任务。
