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UNE research could help Thailand care for farmers' health

May 29, 2006

MDitton.thumb.JPGA team from The University of New England has carried out research in rural Thailand that could help Thai health officials in their efforts to improve primary care for the country’s 35 million poor farmers.

The team leader, Dr Mary Ditton (pictured here) from UNE’s School of Health, said that she and a colleague – Dr Leigh Lehane, also from the School of Health – had recently returned from Thailand after gathering data on the delivery of health care by a primary care unit at Bungaor Tambon in Nakhon Ratchasima (“Khorat”) Province, about three-and-a-half hours’ drive north of Bangkok.

“Health officials in Thailand are keen to improve primary care services to the country’s rural poor,” Dr Ditton said, “and encouraged our work. Those at the Khorat Provincial Health Office received our preliminary report very warmly.” She explained that her team had assessed the performance of the primary care unit against criteria published by the World Health Organisation and other agencies.

A UNE Research Grant allowed the two Australian researchers to visit Thailand twice — for two weeks in February to prepare for the project, and four weeks in April–May to gather data. Dr Ditton and Dr Lehane returned to UNE earlier this month, while Dr Prawit Taytiwat, the Thai member of the team, stayed in Thailand to gather data for his doctoral thesis. (Dr Taytiwat, who assisted in the research and acted as the main interpreter, is studying for a Doctor of Health Service Management degree at UNE.)

“Thailand is doing very well – for a developing country – in the delivery of health services,” Dr Ditton said, “but there’s still a lot of scope for improvement in rural areas. Some of the major health problems among poor farmers are related to the heavy use of insecticides, and the susceptibility of rural workers to foot injuries. Bicycle and motorcycle accidents are also a major source of injuries.”

“The UNE Research Grant provided us with a wonderful opportunity,” Dr Ditton said, “and could lead to more extensive research on the quality of primary health care in Thailand, aimed at improving health care for the 35 million or so rural poor in that country.”

She said that the work had been encouraged and supported in Thailand by Senator Paichit Pawabutr, formerly Dean of the School of Public Health at Naresuan University, Pitsanulok Province, and staff of the Khorat Provincial Health Office.

UNE has developed strong links with Naresuan University over the past two years – especially in the areas of health and education. This has included exchange visits, and discussions about how the two universities could collaborate to improve health management training for medical professionals in Thailand and Australia.

Posted by Jim Scanlan at May 29, 2006 04:09 PM