Health Situation Analysis of Thai Population 2010: Implications for Health Education and Health Service Reform
Sumitr Sutra MD*, Aroon Chirawatkul MSc**, Pichet Leelapanmetha MD***, Somnuk Sirisuwan MD***, Yupa Thavornpitak MSc**, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD****
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Department of Biostatistics and Demography, Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand *** National Health Security Office, Nonthaburi, Thailand **** Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : Between 1990 and 2010, many national and international factors converged to both beneficially and
antagonistically affect people’s health and the Thai healthcare system. Moreover, Thailand is moving to aged society and a low
birth rates.
Objective : To analyze Thailand’s health issues for baseline information for changing medical education, services and
researches.
Material and Method: Information on illness of in-patients, out-patients and casualties came from hospitals nationwide and
from hospitals withdrawals from the three health insurance schemes in fiscal 2010. The data included 96% of the population.
Research literature was also extensively reviewed. The data were analyzed by age groups and burdensome diseases.
Results : Out-patients were treated 326,230,155 times and in-patients 6,880,815 times at Community Hospitals (44%),
Provincial Hospitals (22%), Central or University Hospitals (26%) and Private Hospitals (8%). Infants and elderly were the
patients most commonly treated in hospital. Among pediatric patients, perinatal disease, intestinal infection, respiratory tract
infection, injury and poisoning and teenage pregnancy predominated; while among adults, it was accident, non-communicable
and chronic disease.
Conclusion : Thailand is faced with the dual burden of infection and non-communicable diseases. Risky behavior and
changing social structure are underlined this epidemiological transition. Medical schools and health service systems need to
be recalibrated to response proactively to these challenges.
Keywords : Burden of illness, Epidemiological transition, Health education reform, Health services reform
