Marketing Strategy in Policy Implementation of Surveillance and Rapid Response Team Development in Thailand

Abstract

The cholera and avian influenza outbreaks in Thailand during 2004 has resulted in the establishing of surveillance and rapid response team (SRRT) development policy. This study aims to review and synthesize marketing strategy in policy implementation, during the year 2004-2009, from original project documents. The results show that the new product development process were used and applied into 4 strategies: 1) Product design, by brain storming of concept, and concept testing; which led to the SRRT standard. There was some problem about surveillance indicators. 2) Sales promotion and branding made the policy attractive and induce rapid implementation. 3) Product development was set by epidemiological field training technic: learning by doing. The program trained 4,421 of SRRT members across the country. Capacity of surveillance and team work should be upgrade. 4) Program management could increase district investigation reports from 242 to 2,783 reports during 5 years. More than 80 per cent of district SRRT had actually conduct investigation, but only 43.87 per cent reached SRRT standard criteria. Recommendation for further developments include: raising “Epidemiological and disease control manpower development policy”, improving regulation for support SRRT such as reducing risks, increase compensation and career ladder, establishing of eventbased surveillance, having more specialized SRRT, expanding local SRRT and enhancing of SRRT capability.