Abstract
The organizations concerned with primary care have tried to develop the effectiveness of their service
for all people equally. This research has as its main objectives studying the readiness of networks for
network operations and studying supporting factors and obstacles found in three health centers, namely
Phra Pathom Chedi Community Medical Center, Sanam Chan Sanitarium and Nakhon Pathom Municipality
Health Center. The methodology utilized included semi-structured interview and participatory
observation.
The results of the study revealed that all three centers had different levels of readiness for network
operations. Phra Pathom Chedi Community Medical Center had comparatively the highest degree of
readiness. The second was Sanam Chan Sanitarium whereas Nakhon Pathom Municipality Health Center
did not show readiness. The factors affecting the readiness in network operations were community characteristics,
size, budget administration system, staff working style, executive working style, organization
regulations, knowledge and capability in responsible jobs, executives’ roles in network operations, manpower
allocation, quality assurance and control of network operations, cooperation with other organizations,
and monitoring and evaluation systems. It was also found that the obstacles to networking include
lack of policy for stakeholders’ participation, no information technology for coordination, no performancebased
direction planning, complex organizational structure and line of command, inadequate morale of
staff, insufficient stakeholders in the network, no knowledge management or learning organization practice,
and no effective unit cost management system.
