The Role of the State in the Sustainability of Emergency Medical Volunteers: A Case Study of the Sankamphaeng Rescue Foundation, Sankamphaeng District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

Abstract

This article aims to 1) study the role of the government in supporting volunteer work at the local level, 2) analyze the relationship between the role of the government and the motivation of volunteers to perform their work, and 3) propose guidelines for developing the role of the government to enhance the sustainability of volunteers. This research is qualitative in nature. The data was collected from 15 key informants selected using purposive sampling, including emergency medical volunteers, policy-level administrators or practitioners, and users of
the emergency medical services system. The research results were found as follows; 1) The role of volunteers is primarily driven by a spirit of volunteerism, personal experience, and a desire for skill development. Continued participation depends on a sense of self-worth, pride, team relationships, and learning opportunities. However, volunteers face constraints such as limited time, personal obligations, and a lack of resources; furthermore, government support tends to focus more on policy-level frameworks than on practical, operational assistance. 2) Regarding the relationship between the state’s role and volunteer motivation, administrators view volunteer organizations as flexible, semi-formal systems—though they remain constrained by limited resources, particularly in terms of budget and personnel. Meanwhile, inter-agency collaboration serves as a key factor in operational efficiency. 3) As for strategies to enhance the state’s role in fostering the sustainability of volunteerism, service users prioritize rapid access to services. They evaluate service quality based on both the outcomes achieved and the conduct of the volunteers themselves, placing greater trust in individual volunteers than in the system as a whole.