ABSTRACT
This paper reviews the progress of implementation of health-care decentralization in Thailand since the promulgation of the Decentralization Act 1999, draws lessons learnt and provides recommendations. This review was carried out because of the delay in health-care decentralization, as compared with what was indicated in the Decentralization Action Plan, and to identify the possible causes of delay. The review also analyses other issues that affected implementation of this policy such as consensus on models of health-care decentralization, and other government policies being implemented during the same period. It is recommended that decentralization is not a panacea for health system development and its concept should be applied carefully, based on the country context.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of the study was to analyze the first-year cost ofhematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) program for the treatment of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). The present retrospective study was carried out on 67 AML patients treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) at KCMH during the period of 1994 to 2005. The actual total one-year cost from the provider perspective were determined by the reviewing medical records for medical care costs (MCCs) and by adjusting data from the reports of annual cost analysis of KCMH for routine services costs (RSCs). All costs were converted to 2006 values using the Thai consumer price indices. It was found that the full cost of allogeneic HSCT (allo-HSCT) and autologous HSCT (auto-HSCT) in the first year of the program was $22,592.85 and $24,171.25 per case respectively. Cost-effective appraisal, comparing with chemotherapy, need to be studied further.