Challenges in the Health System after the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Questionnaire-Based Survey in Thailand

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global crisis affecting health resources management and requiring urgent responses from the Thai health system. Nonetheless, COVID-19 provides a window of opportunity for health policymakers to reconsider lessons learned, from the perspective of the health system to health technology and innovation. This is to create a future plan that includes the adaptation of healthcare services to the New Normal era. This is to make a future plan including the adjustment of healthcare services to be relevant to the New Normal era. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the challenges in the Thai health system after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic by collecting data from an online questionnaire survey using SurveySparrow® software. To create this online survey, 6 priority areas were selected from the scoping review: (1) human resources, (2) environment, (3) communication, (4) local governance, (5) social determinants of health, and (6) medical technology. The online survey, asking respondents if they agree with these priorities, would provide inputs for policy priority setting and leverage health system strengthening after the pandemic. From the 441 total respondents to the survey, 80.0 percent identified themselves as working in Thailand’s health systems or health service units; and the majority of the respondents agreed with the challenges the researchers scoping reviewed, with only a few other points raised. Finally, the findings could be valuable inputs for policy development and implementation because they will be key inputs to Thailand’s health priority settings and policy recommendations in the post-COVID-19 era.