EFFECTIVENESS OF THE 30-BAHT UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE POLICY IMPLEMENTATION USING A NATIONAL ID CARD IN COMMUNITY HOSPITALS OF THE KRABI PROVINCIAL PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) Examine the level of implementation, 2) Identify the influencing factors, and 3) Explore the operational guidelines of the “30-Baht Universal Healthcare Policy Using a Single ID Card” at community hospitals under the Krabi Provincial Public Health Office. This mixed-methods research employed a concurrent triangulation design. For the quantitative component, the sample consisted of 310 personnel from all eight community hospitals under the Krabi Provincial Public Health Office, selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with a content validity index ranging from 0.66 to 1.00 and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients between 0.80 and 0.96. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. For the qualitative component, in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 key informants, including hospital directors, department heads, and medical staff, selected through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using content analysis and thematic synthesis. The findings revealed that: 1) The overall effectiveness of policy implementation was at a high level (mean = 3.80) 2) The significant factors influencing the implementation included public awareness, service quality, availability of medicines and medical supplies, access to healthcare services, healthcare facility readiness, performance monitoring, and budget/resource allocation, with standardized regression coefficients of 0.709, 0.563, 0.467, 0.339, 0.233, 0.231, and 0.220 respectively (p < 0.01). These factors collectively explained 79.2% of the variance in implementation outcomes. and 3) The proposed operational guidelines include strategic planning, budget and resource allocation, staffing, health information integration, public awareness campaigns, and quality and safety improvement in healthcare facilities.