Hai Duong solves the problem of doctor shortage at commune health stations

Temporary rotation of doctors to commune level

Recently, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province has implemented a temporary rotation plan for 17 doctors working at Hai Duong Obstetrics Hospital and some district medical centers. Notably, in this list, there are up to 16 doctors working at the district medical center who will work from 6 months to 1 year at commune-level medical stations that are lacking doctors, starting from January 1, 2025.

Since Decision No. 14/2013/QD-TTg dated February 20, 2013 of the Prime Minister on implementing the temporary rotation regime for practitioners at medical examination and treatment facilities took effect. This is the first time that the People's Committee of Hai Duong province has had such a plan.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Thi Trung Chinh, the above plan will initially help to overcome the current shortage of doctors at commune health stations. Of the 16 doctors who will rotate to work for a limited period at commune health stations, 5 are currently holding the position of head or deputy head of professional departments, the rest are mostly doctors with many years of experience. This means that the quality of operations at health stations, especially in the management and operation of professional tasks, will be improved. People will receive better primary health care right at the grassroots level, limiting the need to transfer to higher levels.

Thanh Quang Commune Health Station (Thanh Ha) is one of the commune-level health stations in Hai Duong that will have doctors from the District Health Center rotating to work from next year. For many years, this health station has always been in a state of shortage of doctors. Doctor Pham Thi Nhoan, Deputy Head of Thanh Quang Commune Health Station, shared: "With doctors, the professional activities of the station will be much better. With cases such as common accidents and injuries, they can be handled right at the station, without having to be transferred. Of course, people are also happy about this."

From January 1, 2025, 8 doctors from Nam Sach District Medical Center will rotate to work at medical stations that are lacking doctors. Thus, all commune-level medical stations in the district will have doctors working. Although the District Medical Center is still lacking doctors, the unit's leaders affirmed that they will arrange suitable jobs so that all activities can continue normally when sending people to rotate to the commune level. The Center will also create favorable conditions, especially in resolving policies and regimes, ensuring benefits for doctors to wholeheartedly work at the facility.

Training doctors right in the province

According to the reporter's source, the Department of Health has advised the Provincial People's Committee to request the Ministry of Health to open a general practitioner training course in the province specifically for doctors working at commune health stations. The place of study is Hai Duong Medical Technical University, the training period is 6 years. After graduation, this force will work at health stations that are lacking doctors.

The above proposal is likely to become a reality soon, creating great opportunities for medical staff to study and improve their qualifications. They can study in the province, close to home, at low cost. More importantly, after graduation, they will be an important force to supplement commune health stations that are lacking doctors.

Although there is no official decision yet, the District Health Center has sent medical staff working at some qualified health stations to study general medicine at Hai Duong University of Medical Technology.

The leaders of the Chi Linh City Medical Center, Nam Sach District confirmed that a number of medical staff working at commune-level medical stations have just attended the above class. Director of the Chi Linh City Medical Center Dang Duc Thieu informed: "We have sent 2 medical staff working at Ben Tam Ward and Hung Dao Ward Medical Stations to attend this class. After graduation, based on the actual situation, they will be assigned to commune and ward medical stations that are still lacking."

Hai Duong currently has 60 commune-level health stations without doctors. After the number of doctors who have graduated from the previous class, the rate of commune-level health stations lacking doctors will decrease. However, there are also many doctors working at health stations who will retire in just a few years. Therefore, many opinions say that Hai Duong needs to quickly speed up the process of asking for opinions and coordination to open medical training classes in the province next year based on a review of actual needs. It is necessary to soon issue policies on incentives and training support for commune-level health workers who go to school. Along with incentives and training support, there should be a convention that doctors who benefit from the policy must commit to working long-term at commune-level health stations.

Recruiting newly graduated doctors to work at commune health stations is very difficult in the current context. A newly graduated general practitioner has every opportunity to work at provincial, district and private health facilities with full conditions to develop their skills and a commensurate income. Therefore, the above two solutions are considered the most fundamental and appropriate at present before considering long-term solutions to overcome the shortage of doctors at commune health stations.

Increase doctor quota for district health centers

I agree with the plan of the Provincial People's Committee to temporarily rotate doctors from the District Health Center to commune health stations lacking doctors from January 1, 2025. This is one of the solutions that immediately meets current practical needs.

Ninh Giang district currently has 8 commune and town health stations without doctors. According to the plan of the Provincial People's Committee, from 2025, 4 doctors from the District Health Center will rotate to work at health stations in communes without doctors, including: Hong Duc, An Duc and Van Phuc. Thus, the whole district has only 4 commune health stations without doctors.

In the coming years, if the province continues to rotate doctors from the District Health Center to the medical stations that are still in need, the shortage of doctors at the commune level will be eliminated. However, this also causes significant impacts on the implementation of professional activities of the Medical Centers. Because the human resources at the District Health Centers are currently facing the situation of "large shortages and difficult recruitment".

I think the province needs to study and consider increasing the recruitment quota for doctors at the district health center to always maintain a balance of doctors working on-site, meeting the increasing demand for medical examination and treatment of the people, while having enough staff to rotate doctors to work for a limited time at the commune health station. Of course, this must be carefully studied based on an overall assessment of the impacts from many sides, including the need to estimate and forecast the demand for human resources in the coming years.

If the increase in the recruitment quota for doctors at the district health center is implemented in the future, an equally important thing is that the province needs to issue a major policy decision to increase the attraction policy mechanism and remuneration regime to attract doctors. On the other hand, it is necessary to pay attention to investing in renovating and upgrading infrastructure, purchasing equipment for commune health stations so that when doctors are rotated to work, they will be assured of their work and be able to develop their skills...

Comrade NGUYEN THANH VAN

Vice Chairman of Ninh Giang District People's Committee

Consider lowering the threshold for ensuring input quality for physicians wishing to study medicine in the province.

I am one of the doctors who applied for admission to the medical major in 2024 at Hai Duong University of Medical Technology but was not admitted due to the high threshold for ensuring input quality for this major.

Specifically, for the medical field, the school requires meeting one of the following criteria: grade 12 academic performance of excellent or higher; average score of high school cultural subjects of 8.0 or higher; graduating from high school with excellent results; grade 12 academic performance of good quality and 3 years of work experience in the field of training; graduating from intermediate level with excellent results or higher; graduating from intermediate level with good quality and 3 years of work experience in the field of training.

In 2017, when I was working at the Nam Sach District Medical Center, I passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of General Medicine at Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy. At that time, the criteria were not too "heavy". However, due to some reasons, I did not continue studying at this school. Now, I continue to wish to study for a medical degree, but the input quality assurance criteria set for the medical industry are currently beyond my own conditions, so it is difficult to fulfill my wish.

I know that setting up the criteria for ensuring the quality of input is to ensure the professional quality of doctors when they start practicing. However, I hope that there will be a specific mechanism such as lowering the threshold for ensuring the quality of input or the school will organize a competency assessment exam so that doctors working at commune health stations like me have the opportunity to study to become doctors and feel secure in their work.

Every month, Cong Hoa Commune Health Station examines 340-450 patients covered by health insurance. Because I am not a doctor yet, I can only examine common diseases. If I have the opportunity to study to become a doctor, it will help me have better conditions to take care of people's health.

General practitioner NGHIEM DINH LONG

Deputy Head of Cong Hoa Commune Health Station (Nam Sach)