Govt funding sought to train 30,000 doctors

“The budget request will go to the Cabinet meeting on July 3,” Deputy Education Minister Dr Udom Kachintorn said yesterday.
The goal is to train 3,000 new doctors each year. State-run medical schools need an annual budget of Bt300,000 to train medical students and a further Bt2 million for related equipment and materials. 
At present, the ratio of doctors to population in big cities is 1:800 but in rural provinces, the ratio is at 1:2,500. On average, the ratio is at 1:1,200. 
Udom said although the country still faced a shortage of doctors, fast-evolving medical technology means it would not be wise to train too many. “Otherwise, we will have an oversupply of doctors,” he said.