Evaluation and Development Policy on Public Health Strategy in Southern Border Provinces of Thailand

Abstract

In the southern border provinces of Thailand, the main health programs cover maternal and child health, immunization, non-communicable disease prevention and control, reduction of endemic diseases, improvement of living conditions of vunerable populations, with overarching objective to enhance overall quality of lives in southern border region. Thus, this development evaluation research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of policy implementation and address significant health issues in the southern border region of Thailand, with particular attention on maternal and child health and expanded program on immunization which are the important health problems in the region. The study samples were 2 groups of implementers selected through stratified random sampling: 105 local health workers and 798 village health volunteers from Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces. Nine administrators were also recruited as key informants. Among the implementers, data were collected using quentionnaires and group interviews while the administrators provide informationand opinions through in-depth interviews. Data on maternal and child health and immunization indicators were collected from the HDC database. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while a dependent t-test was used to compare outcomes of maternal and child health and immunization indicators. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that village health volunteers and health professionals gave high ratings to the inputs, outputs, process, and context of the implementation of maternal and child health and immunization policies in the provinces. However, the immunization status of children aged 1-5 years in the 2023 fiscal year was lower when compared to that in the previous year (p<0.05). Additionally, all participants agreed on the influence of input, output, process, and context factors on the success of implementing maternal and child health and immunization policies. Furthermore, administrators put forward policy proposals, strategic suggestions, and system and mechanism recommendations related to the success factors. These findings can serve as a basis for establishing policies that enhance the effectiveness of maternal and child health and immunization services in the southern border provinces of Thailand.