Risk of lack of money to pay salaries
Ca Mau Department of Health said that the number of patients coming to some units has decreased sharply, causing revenue to decrease accordingly. Thoi Binh District Medical Center decreased by 5,965 visits, Phu Tan District Medical Center decreased by 5,068 visits, Dam Doi District Medical Center decreased by 2,963 visits, Tran Van Thoi District Medical Center decreased by 2,881 visits, Cai Nuoc District Medical Center decreased by 1,135 visits, Traditional Medicine Hospital decreased by 5,629 visits, Tran Van Thoi General Hospital decreased by 2,422 visits, Dam Doi General Hospital decreased by 1,585 visits, Ca Mau City General Hospital decreased by 1,241 visits.
According to the synthesis of reports from medical examination and treatment facilities and medical centers with beds, in the last months of 2024, there are 6 units expected to have a shortage of regular operating funds and salary and allowance payments for employees due to low medical examination and treatment revenue such as: Tuberculosis and Lung Hospital is short of 5.434 billion VND, Dam Doi General Hospital is short of 4.292 billion VND, U Minh District Medical Center is short of 2.831 billion VND, Ngoc Hien District Medical Center is short of 4.568 billion VND, Phu Tan District Medical Center is short of more than 7 billion VND...
Deputy Director of Ngoc Hien District Medical Center Vo Thanh Phap said: Due to the low allocation of regular expenses for medical examination and treatment activities and insignificant revenue from career activities, since August 2024, the unit has not been able to ensure funds to pay salaries, allowances and salary contributions for civil servants and employees. The reason is due to geographical conditions, far from the center, preferential policies, and low attraction policies; many private hospitals have opened, with incentives, so human resources have switched from public to private. From 2023 to now, 13 civil servants have quit their jobs and transferred jobs. Recruitment of civil servants is difficult, in 2023 only 5/27 targets were recruited.
Meanwhile, Director of Phu Tan District Medical Center Mac Hong Nhu stated the current situation: Necessary equipment is still lacking such as: anesthesia machines, endoscopic surgery machines, biochemical machines... In addition, some equipment has been damaged and repaired many times, significantly affecting the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
Mr. Nhu informed: “The number of patients is low because the center is far away, people have difficulty traveling, neighboring localities focus on going to higher levels, so the number of outpatients is low. Some doctors with specialized training quit their jobs and changed jobs, so they cannot provide technical services such as ophthalmology, diagnostic imaging, and traditional medicine, so the problem of attracting patients has decreased significantly.”
Recommendations to overcome difficulties
According to the Department of Health of Ca Mau province, due to problems with health insurance (HI) medical examination and treatment costs exceeding the budget, the total payment from 2016-2022 is still outstanding and has not been settled with a total amount of more than 40 billion VND.
The Department of Health believes that, in order to promptly pay salaries, allowances, and monthly contributions to employees, medical centers with beds (with medical examination and treatment activities and regional polyclinics) must take the budget estimates for regular operations of commune health stations (after ensuring payment of salaries, allowances, and contributions according to regulations for medical station staff) to balance the payment of salaries and allowances for employees doing professional work at the medical center (medical examination and treatment activities and regional polyclinics).
Due to many difficulties in funding, reinvestment, purchasing, repairing to maintain regular operations; training doctors and medical staff to improve their skills and expertise, meeting human resources for medical examination and treatment to attract patients for examination and treatment; and regular inspection and supervision according to assigned professional functions and tasks are very limited.
Faced with this situation, the Department of Health of Ca Mau has reported and proposed recommendations to the Provincial People's Committee, Department of Finance, Social Insurance... on the difficulties the health sector is facing, to help the sector overcome difficulties, especially the risk of salary shortages at some existing medical examination and treatment facilities.
