The Ministry of Health is seeking opinions on the draft Decree stipulating the professional preferential allowance regime for civil servants and employees working in public health facilities, which proposes to apply 6 different allowance levels, the highest up to 100% of the current salary level.
According to the draft, professional preferential allowances apply to civil servants and contract workers working in public non-business units in the fields of: Preventive medicine; medical examination and treatment; rehabilitation; traditional medicine and pharmaceuticals; pharmaceuticals and cosmetics; food safety; medical equipment; medical examination, forensic, forensic psychiatry; population; prevention and control of social evils; social protection.
Notably, each civil servant and contract worker, if assigned to many jobs with different professional preferential allowances, will only receive the highest allowance level.
How to calculate professional preferential allowances
According to the draft, occupational preferential allowances are calculated at a percentage of the salary level according to the professional title, current level, plus leadership position allowance, retention allowance (if any), seniority allowance beyond the frame (if any).
Cases assigned work by competent authorities in accordance with the approved Job Position Project are entitled to corresponding preferential allowances. The level of regular professional work is determined to be at least 50% of normal working hours per month according to the provisions of the 2019 Labor Code.
The draft also clearly states the cases that are not subject to allowances, including: Long-term study or work but not specializing; unpaid leave from one month or more; leave to enjoy social insurance benefits; temporary suspension of work or assignment from one month or more, except for cases of being transferred to work at the commune level.
Proposal for 6 preferential allowances for medical staff
100% allowance level: Applied to officials who are assigned to regularly and directly perform medical expertise in the fields of: Psychiatry, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry, emergency resuscitation (including emergency, intensive care, anti-poison), and pathology.
This level also applies to medical professionals at commune-level health stations, preventive health facilities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas, areas with difficult socio-economic conditions, especially difficult, border areas, and islands according to the Prime Minister's regulations.
70% allowance level: Applied to officials directly examining, treating, and caring for people with leprosy, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, group A infectious diseases, newborns; preserving and looking after bodies; working in laboratories requiring biosafety level III, level IV; examining and treating opioid addiction.
In addition, the 70% allowance level is also applied to medical professionals at commune-level health stations in the remaining areas; provincial-level disease control centers; preventive medicine institutes and substance addiction treatment facilities.
50% allowance level: Applied to officials who are assigned to regularly and directly perform the following tasks: Examination, treatment, care, service for burn patients, dermatologists, pediatricians; diagnostic imaging; infection control; clinical pharmacy.
40% allowance level: Applied to officials directly involved in testing, general medical examination and treatment, rehabilitation, traditional medicine; production, preparation, preservation, dispensing of drugs; operation, inspection, maintenance of medical equipment; food safety, nutrition, reproductive health care, social work.
This level also applies to officials who do not directly perform medical expertise at specialized facilities on infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, leprosy, tuberculosis, mental illness, pathology, forensic medicine, forensic psychiatry, and extrahospital emergency care.
30% allowance level: Applied to public employees working in communication, health education; population work (except for cases under higher allowance levels); public employees working in medical expertise at agencies, units, schools; public employees not directly working in medical expertise at medical service units in general.
The draft Decree is being further consulted by the Ministry of Health to be finalized before submitting it to competent authorities for consideration and promulgation.
