Patong doctors tell of low pay, high work load
ACHADTAYA CHUENNIRAN
PHUKET : The Public Health Ministry has stepped in to assist Patong hospital after half its doctors and medical personnel quit due to their heavy workload. Seven of 12 physicians at the hospital have resigned so far. The five doctors who remain include director Tawisak Netwong, who said the hospital was plagued with problems ranging from low pay to workloads that are too onerous for the staff.
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Dr Tawisak has also tendered his resignation but public health permanent secretary Prat Boonyawongwirot has put the brakes on this.
Dr Prat has encouraged him to stay on by promising to increase immediately the number of medical staff and improve the medical facilities at the hospital.
''It is a good response,'' said Dr Tawisak, who has worked at Patong hospital for 12 years.
The staff shortage is being tackled by recruiting doctors from other provinces on a rotating basis until April next year.
Obstetrician Dolrawi Sitimongkol, who is among those who resigned, complained that she was exhausted from dealing with so many patients.
Bone and joint specialist Suti Wiwatwongwana said the hospital needed to make radical changes to deal with the problems it faces.
He decided to leave the hospital after working there for just over a month.
The ministry has tentatively agreed to a request by Dr Tawisak for a salary hike for hospital staff, immediate replacements for those doctors who have quit, expansion of the hospital to a capacity of 200 beds, and procurement of more medical equipment.
At present, the hospital has only 60 beds and serves an average of 300 out-patients per day.
Doctors said the hospital treats between 90 and 100 patients during the morning and afternoon.
Dr Prat is scheduled to visit the hospital this weekend to see the problems first-hand. The hospital is a major medical facility caring for many foreigners.
The permanent secretary said he has told the hospital to draft an urgent development plan to increase the number of beds and to use a special budget of 700 million baht to expand the hospital.
Phuket governor Niran Kalayanamitr said the government must make serious efforts to improve the service and boost the morale of medical staff at the hospital. He said the recent resignations of doctors could hurt tourism businesses on the island.
An idea has also been floated to remove the hospital from state control to do away with red tape and add flexibility to its organisational management.
Mr Niran cited a survey which says the majority of respondents support the idea.
However, he said, the final say rests with the Public Health Ministry.
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