Many preferential policies, but the grassroots level still lacks doctors

Medical students graduate, stay in the capital to have many opportunities to work extra

Doctor Giang A C. (a doctor graduated from Hanoi Medical University, currently working at a hospital in Hanoi) shared that he, like many medical students from disadvantaged areas, had to struggle to study medicine. Mr. C.'s parents had to sell buffaloes and cows to try to raise him to study. Therefore, he tries to find a job, stay in the capital to have the opportunity to work with a high income, have to work overtime, even though he has to live away from home, even though it is more difficult, he accepts.

"Coming back to the countryside now, if the salary is not enough to live on, then how can we say that we are taking care of our parents and family? I hope that medical students will have more support to have enough strength to study a trade, so that they can attract medical human resources in the future" - Dr. C. shared.

Some provinces have had tuition support programs for medical students with the condition of committing to work locally after graduation, but not all places have implemented them effectively. Among them, many children of mountainous provinces have stayed in the city to work without returning to their hometown after completing their studies. This leads to the problem of the "thirsty" for human resources in the mountainous health sector.

Many medical stations in remote areas, islands and islands do not have doctors

Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Health Nguyen Trong Dien shared: If calculating the ratio of doctors/population, Quang Ninh is still among the top in the country. Currently, the national rate is 12 doctors/10,000 people, but in Quang Ninh it is 17 doctors/10,000 people. However, the number of doctors is only concentrated in urban areas, while in remote areas, islands and islands, recruitment is very difficult because doctors do not want to return.

This is one of the reasons why Quang Ninh province has many mechanisms and policies to attract human resources for grassroots levels. In particular, in 2023, the People's Council of Quang Ninh province passed Resolution 28/2023/NQ-HDND, dated December 8, 2023, regulating policies to attract workers to work at a number of public health facilities until 2025.

The minimum number of attracted people is 298, of which, there is a minimum of 10 doctors and nurses at level 2; a minimum of 39 masters of medicine, doctors and nurses at level 1, inpatients; and a minimum of 249 doctors. The incentive regime is also quite attractive, doctors and nurses at level 2 will be supported with a one-time support of 750 million VND/person when deciding to receive. Master of medicine, primary school specialist, or resident doctor when working at district health centers in remote, isolated, and island areas will receive the highest support level of 700 million VND/person. Doctors who return to commune health stations will receive the highest support level of 450 - 500 million VND/person.

However, after more than a year of implementing the Decree, only 64 doctors have been attracted, including 15 doctors at specialized hospitals, such as: Lung Hospital, Ha Long General Hospital, Mental Health Hospital - which are hospitals that are difficult to attract doctors; 42 doctors at district-level health centers and 7 general practitioners at commune health stations. The total amount of support spent to attract the above 64 doctors is about 24 billion VND.

Up to now, the number of doctors attracted under Decree 28 is still very low, although the resolution deadline is nearly a year. In particular, Quang Ninh has not recruited any doctor out of at least 10 doctors, doctors inpatients, or specialist 2 in specialized fields such as bloodology, organ transplantation, cancer, and stem cells for frontline hospitals, including Quang Ninh General Hospital, Bai Chay Hospital, Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital, and Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital. Notably, there are still 30 commune health stations, mainly in remote, isolated and island areas without doctors.

To overcome the shortage of doctors, every week, doctors at the district level take turns supporting commune health stations. However, in the long term, mechanical doctors are needed at stations to ensure the quality of health care.