Abstract:
The aims of this study are to assess provision and unit cost of health promotion services under the eight benefit packages of the universal health insurance program in hospital owned by the Ministry of Public Health. The fiscal year (October 2000-September 2001) 2001 cost data From the provider perspective were retrospectively collected. There were 66 cost centers of which labour costs material costs and capital costs were gathered. It was found that median direct costs of ante-natal care services ranged from 25.7 to 213.4 baht per visit. The median costs of chilsren health care, including development and nutritional status, were between 15.4 and 34.9 baht per visit. The family planning programs had the median costs between 137.1 and 486.7 baht per visit. Home health care costed between 643.89 and 654.76 baht visit. Health education services costed between 47.3 -135.7 baht per visit. The median costs of health promotion consultation services ranged from 89.4 to 94.6 baht per service. Dental health promotion services had the median costs between 28.1 and 28.2 baht per visit. The proportions of the operating costs per visit to the direct cost per visit in ante - natal care, children health care, Family planning, home health care, health education, health promotion consultation services and dental health promotion services were 83.6, 82.3, 79.4, 91.4, 95.9,75.2 and 75.2 percent , respectively. The proportions of the marginal cost to the direct cost per visit of the services ante - natal care, children health care, Family planning, home health care, health education, health promotion consultation services and dental health promotion services were 60.1, 94.4, 70.1, 92.6, 74.4, 83.1, and 86.6percent, respectively. The health promotion services that had significantly different, unit costs among hospitals with different sizes were thallassemia screening (p = 0.04), post-natal care for risky mothers (p = 0.046) and hospital-based health exhibition (p = 0.022). Some 28.30 percent of the sampled hospitals suggested that the health promotion package may not be the some for all hospitals. These findings could be applied in budget planning and management of the benefit package of the universal health insurance program.