Fringe Benefit, Welfare and Career Path of Health Workforce of Sub-District Health Promoting Hospital under Provincial Administrative Organization
Keywords:
fringe benefit, welfare, career advancement, provincial administrative organization, primary care workforceAbstract
Background and Rationale: Providing fringe benefits, welfare, and promoting career advancement to health workforce of a sub-district health promoting hospital (SHPH) under the provincial administrative organization (PAO) are crucial. The purpose of this research was: 1) to examine the fringe benefits, welfare, and career advancement opportunities for SHPH personnel; 2) to investigate the problems, obstacles, and proposals regarding fringe benefits, welfare, and career advancement for SHPH personnel; and 3) to develop policy recommendations related to fringe benefits, welfare, and career advancement for SHPH personnel under PAO.
Methodology: This research employed a mixed-methods approach, incorporating quantitative and qualitative research methodologies conducted from April to August 2023. The qualitative samples selected purposively consist of policy-level executives including experts and executives of the Ministry of Public Health (n=15); local government organization executives, provincial health executives and regional health executives (including health region inspectors, provincial chief medical officers, PAO presidents, public health division directors, and representatives from local administrative organizations: n=80); operational health workforce of the transferred SHPHs (n=120); and experts joining final policy meeting (n=20). Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. For the quantitative study, the samples consist of 430 personnel from transferred SHPHs. The participants were selected using purposive and stratified random samplings based on staff proportions. Quantitative data were collected using an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics for quantitative method and content analysis for qualitative method.
Results: 1. Overall fringe benefits, welfare, and career advancement were at moderate level. The qualitative findings showed that these aspects generally followed the healthcare decentralization guidelines of the SHPH (and the 60th Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit Health Center). 2. Problems included delays in compensation payments, unfair salary promotion evaluations, differences in welfare benefits, and limited growth opportunities in certain job positions. 3. Key policy recommendations included: the Department of Local Administration overseeing decentralization should organize knowledge-sharing activities and review hindering regulations to ensure health workforce receiving appropriate benefits. PAOs should develop and widely disseminate manuals, procedures, regulations, and practical guidelines.
Discussion and conclusion: To boost staff morale and motivation, relevant agencies should simplify and improve compensation payment rules for quicker processing, set clear and fair criteria for salary increases, create clear career paths for all job titles, establish higher-level positions, especially for professional nurses; and speed up academic performance reviews within 6 months.
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