Difficulties piled up
For many years, Mr. Lai Van Quynh (46 years old) - Head of the Organization Department, Chairman of the Trade Union of Yen Bai GTVT Hospital - has had to do all kinds of jobs to maintain family life.
According to Mr. Quynh, difficulties began in 2021 when the COVID-19 epidemic caused the hospital's operations to decline. In the following years, the unit only maintained moderately with a meager income from periodic health check-ups for drivers and employees. By June 2024, the hospital could not complete procedures to adjust its medical examination and treatment operating license, lost the ability to sign health insurance medical examination and treatment contracts and was forced to stop operating. "Most officials and employees have to work part-time to earn a living. From 65 union members, now there are only 4 people left" - Mr. Quynh shared.
According to the Chairman of the Trade Union, the hospital currently owes more than 5 billion VND in salaries, about 1.4 billion VND in social insurance money and hundreds of millions of VND in debts to suppliers. The delay in paying social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance for more than 24 months has seriously affected the rights of many workers. Among those who have not been assigned new jobs, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Hoan (47 years old) - Chief Accountant of the hospital - cannot hold back tears every time she mentions the journey of more than 4 years living without salary and insurance debt. According to the personnel arrangement plan, 12 doctors and nurses have been transferred to medical facilities in Lao Cai province. Ms. Hoan and Mr. Quynh continue to stay to handle outstanding tasks, serving the hospital handover process. "We have waited for many years to get jobs. Meanwhile, the handling of debts, assets and handover procedures may still be prolonged. If we continue to have to stay without a salary and allowance mechanism, life will become more and more difficult," Ms. Hoan choked up.
Not yet agreed on the plan
Regarding the workers' recommendations, Mr. Pham Tung Lam - Director of the Department of Transport Health (Ministry of Construction) - informed that the unit is coordinating with the Department of Home Affairs and the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health to study and agree on a suitable work arrangement plan for the remaining civil servants. According to Mr. Lam, the arrangement must ensure both meeting the requirements of handing over the hospital in its original state and resolving the legitimate aspirations of workers.
Reporters' records at Yen Bai GTVT Hospital show that the scenery here is quite deserted. In the campus of more than 1,200m2, weeds grow lushly, signboards are faded, many items are degraded. After the floods, the hospital yard is covered with mud, walls and doors of buildings are covered in dust, creating a deserted scene of a medical facility that used to serve hundreds of people every day. On May 26, 2026, at a working session with Lao Cai province, the Department of Transport Health proposed to hand over Yen Bai GTVT Hospital in its original state to the local management. However, so far, the parties have not yet agreed on the reception plan. The reason is that the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Health has not agreed with the draft handover minutes drawn up by the Department of Transport Health. The Department of Finance proposed to hire a consulting unit to review and re-evaluate all assets before receiving them. Meanwhile, the Department of Home Affairs proposed to only receive civil servants according to the job transfer process. The failure to agree on a deployment plan has caused the process of In the transitional period, the hospital was just transferred to local management but has not completed the actual reception, leading to many obstacles in determining the agency responsible for allocating operating funds and resolving regimes for employees. While the procedures are still unfinished, the remaining 4 officials of Yen Bai GTVT Hospital continue to live in anxiety, hoping to soon have stable jobs after many years of attachment to the medical industry and experiencing a long period of waiting.
