Abstract
The importance of primary care has increased since the recent health-care reform but no systematic
evaluation has been done. This study was aimed at assessing primary care in Thailand. The primary-care
system questionnaire originally developed by Barbara Starfield was used to assess nine primary-care
domains, namely, resource allocation, adequacy of facilities, first contact and co-payment requirement, longitudinality, comprehensiveness, coordination, family-centeredness, community orientation, and professional
personnel. Respondents were 77 primary care practitioners from 13 different provincial hospitals.
The findings showed a response rate of 53.25 percent. Providers stated that (1) the resource allocation
was not appropriately based on intimate needs, although there were some special provisions for
underserved segments of the population, (2) basic equipment and supplies were not adequate in some
regions, (3) consultation with a provider at the primary-care level was required before assessing to seek
other care, whereas the co-payment requirement was low, (4) most patients were seen by the same provider
team on every visit, (5) primary-care services are comprehensive although regional variations were
evident, (6) coordination, family-centeredness, and community orientation were satisfactory, and (7) nurses
were key providers at primary-care facilities.
