Abstract
The objective of this study was to describe the migration and the distribution pattern of pharmacists
in Thailand. A self-administered questionnaire survey was employed. Stratifried sampling by timing of
the compulsory pharmacist project of the Ministry of Public Health was used in the survey. The total
sample included 1,500 registered pharmacists in three sub-units: those who graduated with a bachalor’s
degree before, between, and after the compulsory pharmacist project, i.e. those who graduated between
1975 and 1988, 1989 and 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively. The response rate was 43.27 percent. The
results showed that 59.78 percent of the samples had moved 1.8 times on average. The mobility patterns
from their first to current workplaces were different among the three sub-groups. According to the distribution, the results indicated that the number of pharmacists was increasingly distributed into regional
areas. Most of them had worked for the government sector, especially in government hospitals. It was
concluded that the compulsory pharmacist project may effect imbalances in the distribution of pharmacists in the public and private sectors. This problem could distort the professional development of pharmacists, particularly in the pharmaceutical industry and drugstores. Therefore, it is necessary to consider
the balance in the distribution of pharmacists between the public and private sectors in Thailand.
