The debate on recognizing degrees in training for resident and specialist doctors has lasted for many years, and has now been stirred up at the National Assembly forum, attracting the attention not only of the medical industry.
According to the Ministry of Health, the medical staff in the specialist and inpatient program accounts for about 2/3 of the postgraduate workforce in the medical industry. However, up to now, resident and specialist doctors are not included in the "structure of the national education system", because according to the Ministry of Education and Training, resident doctors, specialties I, II are postgraduate professional training programs to form professional practice capacity, not to grant new academic degrees such as master's and doctoral degrees.
At the National Assembly forum, delegate Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health, said that resident doctors are the quintessence of the medical industry, and cannot be considered a simple "professional certificate".
National Assembly Delegate (NAD) Tran Khanh Thu (Hung Yen Delegation) also said that the findings of the Ministry of Education and Training are unfair to the postgraduate training system in the health sector.
When the two fields of health and education have not found a common voice, about 7,000 specialists are trained each year, but if there is no confirmation of academic degrees such as master's and doctoral degrees, it will be a legal gap.
Resident and specialist doctors are not recognized as postgraduate, which makes it difficult to compare, continue studying, or move to international careers, especially when many countries require clear specialist certificates.
Therefore, legalizing the training system for resident doctors and specialties will help enhance the scientific reputation of this team, while making the academic degree transparent.
Regarding this debate, Professor Le Ngoc Thanh - Principal of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vietnam National University, Hanoi expressed the view that inpatient training, specialties I, and II must be considered a national training program, specifically managed by the Ministry of Health, with appropriate treatment.
Professor Le Ngoc Thanh said that the Government needs to preside over and convene the Ministries of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, etc. to discuss and propose the most unified and reasonable policies.
It is time for an "arbitration" to establish a "legal position" for postgraduate training degrees of resident and specialist doctors.
The issue is not only the degree, but also the national strategy for high-quality medical human resources.
If the legal process is not urgently completed, Vietnam is at risk of losing the competitive advantage of medical human resources in the region and internationally.
