THE CLOSED MARKET
Mr Att said an apparent reluctance in increasing the number of locally trained nurses could be due to the lack of motivation from authorities, who fear local nurses might flock to international hospitals once the agreement takes effect, as well as a concern that having more nursing schools might result in lowering the quality of nurses produced.
Two levels of licence are available through the licensing examination. First-class licences are issued to professional nurses who graduate from a four-year programme, and second-class licences to technical nurses who graduate from a two-year programme. The Nursing Council requires licence renewal every five years.
At the end of last year there were 175,659 registered professional nurses and 5,119 registered technical nurses, according to the TNC. Currently, 82 nursing schools and colleges provide nursing degrees, while statistics from the TNC show there is a demand for 2,096 new teachers.
“They [the authorities] think that all these nurses are just going to work for public companies anyway, and the normal Thai reaction would be to prevent it and invest resources in protecting nurses. But I think that’s a negative thought,” Mr Att said. “But if you think differently in terms of growth and support, it might be that we can sit down and work together.”
Thailand is the top medical destination in Asean in terms of volume, with government figures showing an annual increase in health tourists visiting the country, from 500,000 in 2001 to 2.03 million in 2012. East Asia, Asean and the Middle East are the top regions for medical treatment, with conditions ranging from heart and vascular diseases, brain and spinal cord related diseases, cancer and digestive system diseases.
Economists say a shortage of doctors and nurses coupled with the increase in patient numbers would lead to rising hospital bills. Importing foreign nurses, therefore, is a way of increasing the amount of supply.
Viroj NaRanong, research director of health economics at the Thailand Development Research Institute, said he is concerned that medical personnel would be recruited to treat foreign patients, who have a higher purchasing power, which would place Thai patients at a disadvantage.
John Lee Kohshun, a principal consultant at MuziHealth Consulting, does not expect a mass movement of Thai nurses and doctors to Singapore where income is higher. More worrying will be that the most qualified may get to move first.
This is a challenge to hospitals, which will need to improve management, environment and professionalism to help retain staff instead of creating barriers to prevent Thai professionals from moving out, he said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Avestruz will try to obtain a nursing licence once the AEC comes into force, although she admitted it would be hard to decide whether she would switch to becoming a clinical nurse. “My work here is unique in the sense that I may be able to impart knowledge from my experience to nurses in general. The kind of gratification is different,” she said. “When treating patients, it’s very uplifting because you change their lives, and that is happiness. That is very uplifting.”Thai services,” he said.