Role of Professional Nurse in District Health System

Abstract

         Thailand has developed the Primary Care System continuously, but it is still
found that the mechanism of governance and Primary Care System, particularly the
good governance system is not clear yet, as a result, the people still do not understand
and are not confdent of the Primary Care System. The inadequate personnel
and their limited potentials dealing with changing health factors have resulted in
the overall increasing numbers of sickness, and people are sick of the preventable
diseases, but the people do not rely themselves on their health. They hope to rely
on the health offcials and service systems. They do not pay attention or realize on
their health. They are not aware of their ways of life. Thus, the reform of public health
in Thailand for the past 20 years has given signifcance to the sustainable governance
and Primary Care System, so as to help reduce the social gaps or differences, and
also to cover all the management systems of health services which are fair and effective.
The approach strategy of Thai health promotion aims at strengthening the
District Health System as well as the integration of working on health activities in
the area in cooperation with members or partners of heath networks in the so-called,
“Family Care Team”, so as to help solve health problems by managing the knowledge
of context culture in each area.
           The District Health System stresses on working as a team or “team work” of
Multidisciplinary Team in the form of Family Care Team and the registered or professional
nurses are also a part of the Family Care Team. This system plays a signifcant
role of all working procedures and operation stages that can link well with mental and
spiritual cares. It also encourages and creates the pro-active health promotion process
to coordinate work operations well in the area with health care service facilities, as
well. Therefore, the professional nurses need to adjust or change their roles and
functions or responsibilities in order to be consistent with the work of disciplinary
team and members or partners of health networks and to have the better knowledge
and understanding about the concepts and principles of work operations with
district health system and Family Care Team. Moreover, they must be developed their
potentials to be getting ready for work operations and to apply for working in both
service facilities and communities. They can exchange knowledge and their learning
experience along with the multidisciplinary team and can respond to work on the
health of people, families, communities all the time so as to enable people to care
of their health and support themselves with the self-reliance schemes and good
quality of life. The community should not neglect each other and then will result in
further improvement of health status of the people in the district.