Thai Health Ministry Admits Critical Doctor Shortage in Nine Provinces
Only 72% of doctors required nationwide are actively working, with resignation rates rising sharply, forcing the MOPH to propose six urgent allocation reforms
- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health confirmed a severe doctor shortage, with only 72% of the required national positions filled, a deficit of over 10,000 doctors.
- The crisis is most critical in nine specific provinces, including Bueng Kan, Samut Prakan, and Nong Bua Lamphu, with some regions operating with less than 60% of their needed staff.
- The shortage is being worsened by a rising trend in doctor resignations, which increased from 789 in 2020 to 1,201 in 2024.
- To address the issue, the ministry has proposed a six-point reform plan for new medical graduates, focusing on prioritizing shortage areas, offering financial incentives, and allowing flexible relocation.
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is grappling with a severe shortage of medical personnel, confirming that only 72 per cent of the required national doctor quota is currently filled.
This revelation comes alongside a sharp increase in doctor resignations, forcing the Ministry to propose radical reforms for allocating new medical graduates.
Dr Somrerk Jungsaman, Permanent Secretary of the MOPH, presented the data to the Medical Council, highlighting that the Ministry’s permanent secretary's office has just 25,490 active doctors, well short of the 35,578 posts allocated for the 2022–2026 period.
The crisis is particularly acute in nine provinces identified as having the most critical lack of doctors relative to their population: Bueng Kan, Samut Prakan, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nakhon Phanom, Nonthaburi, Sa Kaeo, Loei, Chaiyaphum, and Mae Hong Son.
Furthermore, the overall trend of doctor resignations has worsened, rising from 789 in the 2020 fiscal year to 1,201 in the 2024 fiscal year.
Regional Imbalances Exposed
The data exposed significant regional imbalances. Health Regions 2, 4, and 8 have only 61 per cent, 63 per cent, and 66 per cent of their doctor quotas filled, respectively.
Ten individual provinces are operating with less than 60 per cent of their required staff, with Bueng Kan suffering the worst at just 44 per cent.
Dr Somrerk noted that the current allocation system is failing.
In 2025, after filling up Health Regions 8 and 10, other regions like 4, 5, and 6 did not receive enough first-year doctors for skills training, forcing the MOPH to rely on non-affiliated doctors to fill the gaps.
Six-Point Reform Plan
To tackle the escalating crisis, the MOPH has proposed six guidelines for allocating the estimated 2,795 new medical graduates expected in the 2026 fiscal year:
Prioritise Shortage Areas: Allocation will focus first on provinces with critical shortages.
Flexible Relocation: Adjust scholarship schemes (like CPIRD and ODOD) to allow graduates to be transferred across regional boundaries to underserved areas.
Cross-Region Support: Use a 'One Province/One Region, One Hospital' model to allow general practitioners and specialists to rotate between districts and provinces to assist shortage areas.
Special Financial Incentives: Offer enhanced compensation and accelerated career advancement, especially in high-workload, understaffed areas.
Specialist Training Boost: Create incentives, such as shorter compulsory service periods or bonus points, for doctors who agree to pursue specialist training in shortage regions.
Budgetary Support: Establish regional funds to further increase remuneration and support the operational work of doctors in deprived areas.
For doctors allocated to these shortage regions, the MOPH is proposing a system where they can choose to pursue specialist training in core medical fields after two years of service, and both core and secondary fields after three years.
