Yet paradoxically, the health system is experiencing a growing shortage of doctors -- particularly in public and community hospitals. The core issue is not how many doctors Thailand trains, but how the system treats them once they enter practice. This strain is most visible in public hospitals, particularly at the community level. The result is a vicious cycle: fewer doctors lead to heavier workloads, which in turn drive more doctors to withdraw or leave. Public and teaching hospitals shoulder the cost of training doctors, exposing them to complex cases, long hours, and steep learning curves.
