Evaluation of Thailand's Regional Hospital Efficiency
August 2017
TLDR Thai regional hospitals need more resources for better efficiency, and investment in quality could help Thailand become a medical tourism hub.
The document from 2017 evaluated the efficiency of 24 regional public hospitals in Thailand using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with the BCC model, focusing on data from 2015. It found that there was a negative correlation between the number of beds and doctors per population and patient metrics, indicating a need for more resources to meet patient demands. Twelve hospitals achieved the highest efficiency score of 1, with urban hospitals generally being more efficient. The study highlighted the potential for regions like Surat Thani to develop medical tourism. It concluded that the Thai government should invest in hospital quality to enhance the healthcare system's trustworthiness and support Thailand's goal of becoming a medical tourism hub. The paper also suggested future research to compare efficiencies between private and public hospitals.
