Accessibility of health care service in Thasongyang, Tak Province, Thailand

Accessibility to health care services in Thailand is generally good, but a few areas in the country are difficult to reach. The purpose of this study was to investigate the accessibility of health care services in rural and remote areas of Thailand. It was conducted in 16 remote villages within a catchment area with a primary health care post. The health care post staff interviewed 394 respondents (197 males and 197 females) using a structured questionnaire. Most respondents utilized primary health care posts (98.5%) and medical institutes. Most of the respondents were Karen, had low incomes, and were illiterate. However, they had health insurance. Most of them took more than 30 minutes to travel from home to their primary health care post (60.9%), and took more time in the rainy season than in the dry season. Moreover, it took more than 2 hours for them to travel to the nearest hospital from their residences (64.5% in the dry season and 84.5% in the rainy season). They also paid more for medical services, travelling and food on the way to the hospital. Not only primary health care posts, but also many other medical institutes provided health care services in the villages. In conclusion, based on the results of this study, primary health care posts in remote areas are necessary to ensure the residents' healthy lives. Therefore, improvement of the quality and accessibility of primary health care posts should be considered as the top priority.