Abstract
The objective of this study was to estimate total cost of primary care service network. Samples with a proper primary care service system and good administration were selected based on experts’ opinion. They were three main district networks, namely, Namsom in Udonthani province, Wanornniwas in Sakon Nakhon province, and Naklang in Nong Bua Lam Phu province. The data on services and financial information of fiscal year 2015 were gathered. Total cost per network and the unit cost per capita were analyzed. The result shows that labor cost was the main cost driver in primary care system in which some networks was twice higher than material cost, followed by capital cost. The total cost of Namsom network was THB 22.9 million, of Wanornniwas network was THB 49.4 million, and of Naklang network was THB 46.2 million. The cost per capita of Namsom network was THB 612.61 followed closely by Naklang and Wanornniwas networks at THB 603.08 and 461.52, respectively. However, it should be noted that only one district network could collect all cost information needed was the main limitation of the present study. While, cost data are very different in each network, more primary care networks are needed to get more accurate unit cost.
