Expanding the roles of malaria post workers in Thailand: A qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives.

Autor:	Jongdeepaisal M; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom., Khonputsa P; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand., Prasert O; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand., Maneenate S; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand., Sirimatayanant M; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand., Sopa P; Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Health Office, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand., Saisong A; Sisaket Provincial Health Office, Sisaket, Thailand., Charoensup I; Buntharik Hospital, Buntharik, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand., Kamsri T; Ubon Ratchathani Provincial Health Office, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand.; Phibun Mangsahan Hospital, Phibun, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand., Tipmontree R; Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand., Sudathip P; Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand., Liverani M; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.; Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.; School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.; Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand., Maude RJ; Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.; The Open University, Milton Keynes, United Kingdom., Pell C; Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Department of Global Health, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.; Centre for Social Science and Global Health, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	PLOS global public health [PLOS Glob Public Health] 2024 Sep 17; Vol. 4 (9), pp. e0003670. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 17 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pgph.0003670
Abstrakt:	In Thailand, since the 2000s, malaria post (MP) workers have been tasked with promptly detecting and treating all malaria cases to prevent onward transmission in the communities. Expanding their roles to provide health services beyond malaria has been proposed as a strategy to sustain their activities until elimination is reached. This article examines the perspectives of stakeholders on community-based malaria care to assess prospects for expanding the role of MPs. The study incorporated in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs). In forested communities and local health facilities in northeast Thailand bordering Lao PDR and Cambodia, where malaria transmission is low, IDIs were conducted with 13 MPs and 23 community members. An additional 14 policymakers and implementers across the health sector in Thailand were interviewed. The respondents highlighted how in these border areas population groups most at risk of malaria, namely forest goers and migrants, are reluctant to visit public health facilities. In these areas, MP workers are well integrated in their communities and remain relevant although the communities no longer see malaria as spriority. Common conditions such as dengue, diabetes, insect bites, diarrhea, mental illness and substance abuse, were identified as local health concerns needing potential add-on services from MP workers. Although challenges in terms of training, supervision, and financing were raised, opportunities included additional funds from local administrative offices to maintain and integrate malaria activities with other health programmes. Changes to the roles of MPs should be adapted to changing local needs, some of which were identified in this study, should avoid duplication and potential tensions with other local health programmes, and need to build on the capacity of the community and primary care system. These enabling factors are worthy of consideration by any malaria programmes looking into maintaining their village malaria workers in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. (Copyright: © 2024 Jongdeepaisal et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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