At 7 pm, after a quick meal with his wife and children, Mr. Dang Van Ngoc (53 years old) quietly went to Yen Bai GTVT Hospital (Yen Bai ward, Lao Cai province) to do the job of protecting the unit's property.
He no longer remembers exactly how long he has not received his salary. The only thing he can track is that on the social insurance application, the payment process stopped more than 4 years and 7 months ago.
I have two children, one of whom is disabled. For many years, all family expenses have depended on my wife's meager teacher salary. When I heard the news that the Ministry of Construction and the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee agreed on a plan to handle backlogs and arrange jobs for hospital staff, I was very hopeful. But until now, I am still here doing unpaid work," Mr. Ngoc said sadly.
In the same situation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Hoan - 46 years old, hospital accountant - is also anxiously waiting for the day to be assigned a new job.
According to the solution plan, 12 doctors and nurses of the hospital were transferred to medical facilities in Lao Cai province. Ms. Hoan is expected to be assigned to the Economic Department of Viet Hong Commune People's Committee.
However, due to having to continue to stay to perform tasks related to handling backlogs and handing over hospitals, she and 3 other officials and employees have not yet been able to transfer jobs.
“We have waited for more than 4 years to get jobs. Meanwhile, the handling of debts, assets and procedures for handover and dissolution of hospitals may still be prolonged.
If we continue to have to stay without a salary and allowance mechanism, our lives will become more and more difficult," Ms. Hoan choked up.
According to the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health, from 2021, Yen Bai GTVT Hospital began to fall into a situation of owing salaries to officials and employees. In the following years, the unit operated in moderation, mainly performing periodic health check-ups for employees.
By June 2024, the hospital could not complete procedures to change the license, lost the ability to sign health insurance medical examination and treatment contracts and was forced to temporarily suspend operations.
Currently, the unit still owes nearly 8 billion VND, including salaries, insurance of employees and debts to suppliers.
In June 2026, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee will report on the results of the review and propose solutions to handle problems related to the handover and reception of Yen Bai GTVT Hospital.
Accordingly, the hospital currently has 16 people, including 14 civil servants and 2 contract workers. On May 31, 2026, the Department of Home Affairs issued a decision to receive and transfer 12 civil servants to work at medical units in the area.
However, 2 accounting officials and 2 contract workers still had to stay to perform tasks related to debt, management and asset protection, serving the hospital handover process.
According to the People's Committee of Lao Cai province, the hospital's acceptance in its original state is not yet eligible for implementation because many issues related to assets, land, equipment, debts and related obligations have not been resolved thoroughly.
Previously, Lao Cai province proposed that the Ministry of Construction coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to develop a report to submit to the Prime Minister to dissolve Yen Bai GTVT Hospital.
Regarding the recommendations of officials still staying at the hospital, the Department of Transport Health (Ministry of Construction) said that it will report to competent authorities for consideration and finding a solution.
