The Role of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Region 7 Following the Transfer of After Transferring Tambon Health Promoting Hospitals to Provincial Administrative Organization : A Case Study of Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

This qualitative case study aimed to explore the role of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control, Region 7 Khon Kaen (ODPC7) in disease prevention and control following the transfer of Tambon Health Promoting Hospitals (THPHs) to Provincial Administrative Organizations (PAOs) in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 33 key informants from relevant agencies, including ODPC7, Provincial Public Health Offices, District Public Health Offices, hospitals, THPHs, and PAOs. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data.

The findings revealed that after the mission transfer, ODPC 7 adjusted its role to focus on academic support, knowledge development, and personnel training, while reducing its direct field operations. Coordination between agencies became more complex, particularly with Tambon Health Promoting Hospitals, as communication now had to be routed through Provincial Administrative Organizations, leading to occasional delays. Local agencies continued to need ODPC 7's support for academic guidance, personnel capacity building, and disease investigation assistance during major disease outbreaks.

Based on the research findings, the following recommendations are proposed: ODPC 7 and related agencies should improve their inter-agency coordination and communication systems, establish clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, enhance ODPC 7's capacity in developing contemporary disease control knowledge and technologies, implement an integrated cross-agency database system, and strengthen ODPC 7's proactive field operations.