Abstract
The 1992 private hospital census in ThailandApart from MOPH Medical License Division (MLD) data on number of hospitals and beds by province, there is a severe lack of information on types of beds, manpower mix (both part time and full time), throughput (curative and preventive services), rates of room and board, exemption policy and volume of exemption by private hospitals. Moreover, pattern and behaviour of private hospitals under various types of ownership (for profit companies, individual owned, for profit companies registered in stock exchange merket, not for profit foundation run hospital) has not yet been explored. The 1992 private hospital census aims to assess number and type of beds and trends during 1990-92; category of medical staff both part time and full time and trends during 1990-92; throughput and trends during 1990-92; hospital exemption policy and volum of exemption; ownership of certain major equipments. We use the census frame of the total 320 hospitals registered with the MLD in 1992. Mail questionnaires were distributed to hospitals in Bangkok through MLD, hospitals outside Bangkok were distributed through Provincial Health Offices. Hospitals were required on a voluntary basis to response the questionnaire. Follow up work consumed 12 months during October 1993-94. There were 222 hospitals responded, 69 percent response rate. Interactive validation and assessment of data quality by researchers and the hospitals was made to improve reliability of data. Results are presented in six sectionsa)Beds, typed of bed, geographical distribution and three yaer trend b)Manpower by categories and three year trend. [Note : full time staff works more than 40 hours per week, and part time staff works less than 40 hours] c)Throughput (curative and preventive services) and three year trens d)Ratio analysis e)Room rate f)Exemption policy and volume of exemption. Hospitals are classified by researchers into four categories ; Type I : corporate, company limited of owned and run by an individual. Type II : owned and run by not-for-profit Foundation. Type III : public company registered in the Thai Stock Exchange Market. Type IV : small hospitals called oneself as clinic, polyclinic. The overall response rate in 69 percent (Type II 85 percent, Type III 75 percent, Type I 72 percent and Type IV 58 percent respectively)
