District Health System Management to Improve the Quality of Maternal and Child Health from Kapho District in Pattani Province, Thailand

Abstract

This study was performed in a descriptive retrospective design to evaluate the
results of District Health System management, aiming to improve the quality of maternal
and child health care (MCH) in Kapho District, Pattani Province, Thailand. Data were
collected from records. Data management and analysis were divided into two phases. In
the first phase, covering the years 1999 to 2006, a situation analysis and past experiences
were studied. The second phase lasted from 2007 to 2012, wherein a theoretical analysis
was done. The findings demonstrated that the District Health System management
positively influenced the quality of MCH care. As examples, Maternal Mortality Ratio was
shown to be zero per 100,000 live births, since the fiscal year 2007 to 2012, and the
Perinatal Mortality Rate was as low as 3.09 per 1,000 total births in 2012. Furthermore,
there revealed improved service coverage to the MCH populations. For instance, foursection
observation of antenatal care coverage showed an optimistic trend (69.9%, 79.0%,
and 80.4%) from the year 2010 to 2012. This was due to the comprehensive management
system, comprising the following six core components: (i) service delivery, (ii) health
workforce, (iii) health information systems, (iv) essential medication access, (v) financing,
and (vi) leadership or governance