Hai Duong worries about human resources for the health sector

Concerned about medical staff leaving the profession

In just 5 years, Kim Thanh District Medical Center has had 5 doctors with solid professional qualifications leave the industry. Because of poor treatment, many departments, especially local medical stations, find it difficult to recruit and retain doctors. Mr. Nguyen Quy Phung, Director of Kim Thanh District Medical Center, used an example from his own locality to talk about the current human resource situation in the health sector.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc, Director of Gia Loc District Medical Center, said, "Only with food can we uphold morality." If the lives of medical staff are not good, it will be difficult for them to stick with the profession for a long time. Currently, the income of medical staff is not commensurate with the assigned responsibilities and tasks. With such low salaries, medical workers will be reluctant to contribute. Many people have to do other jobs to increase their income. From 2018 to now, Gia Loc District Medical Center has had 7 doctors resign. Many medical staff who have studied to become doctors but have not received tuition support and have to face difficulties in streamlining the payroll, so many people are discouraged and quit their jobs, greatly affecting the goal of developing the grassroots medical network. "Facing many pressures but with such low salaries, can medical staff do their duties well? Doctors must be like mothers?", Mr. Ngoc asked.

The main reasons why many health workers have left the profession in recent times have been pointed out. Due to high work pressure; income in public health units is lower than in non-public health units, especially for preventive health workers and primary health workers, the difference is even greater.

Prioritize income growth

Faced with the shortage of doctors and pharmacists at the grassroots level, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province has recently asked the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health for permission to train the province according to the "use address". Every year, the leaders of the Department of Health directly meet with students of medical and pharmaceutical universities and colleges to inform them of the needs and policies for recruiting doctors and nurses. In the coming time, the Department of Health will continue to coordinate with the Department of Home Affairs to organize meetings and discussions with graduating students to inform them of the recruitment needs and preferential policies to attract human resources for the province's health sector. The health sector has proposed to the province mechanisms and policies to invite experts from higher levels to transfer science and technology to medical staff in the province in the form of "hand-holding and showing work".

Concerned about the lack of human resources working at medical stations, Comrade Sai Thi Yen, Director of the Department of Home Affairs, shared this difficulty with the Hai Duong health sector and said that based on the merger of commune-level administrative units according to Resolution 788/NQ-UBTVQH14 dated October 16, 2019 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, many localities in the province may only have 1 medical station, thus there will be a surplus of medical staff. Localities can base on the surplus medical staff after the merger to arrange and strengthen the force to serve the work of medical examination and treatment.

According to Ms. Dinh Thi Dieu Hang, Chairwoman of the Board of Hai Duong Medical Technical University, the training and supply of human resources for the health sector should be based on a specific general development plan and project. Through this plan, the school can train doctors and physicians in specialties that are lacking in the province. Ms. Hang proposed that the province should soon have a policy to support the training of human resources for the health sector, not only for students but also for medical staff to go for training and improve their qualifications at a higher level.

In early March, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province solicited comments on the draft proposal and resolution regulating the policy of supporting training and remuneration for medical staff in the province. Accordingly, medical staff can receive support from 1-4 million VND/month. If approved, this support policy will be a great source of encouragement for medical staff and doctors and demonstrate Hai Duong province's concern for medical staff, especially in the context of Hai Duong's limited medical staff and an unsynchronized human resource structure at all levels. Prioritizing the improvement of income levels of medical staff is a top priority for Hai Duong.

Through an open dialogue between Hai Duong provincial leaders and health sector officials and employees, many issues related to income, benefits and working conditions of health sector officials and employees were received and answered. Provincial leaders affirmed that in the coming time, Hai Duong will devote resources and many solutions to better care for health sector human resources, thereby helping them feel secure in their work, dedication and health care for the people.