Low salary and allowances
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc said that adjusting the allowance regime for health workers is very urgent. Allowances for health workers are still implemented according to Decision 73 since 2011, which has been in place for more than 13 years, so they are very outdated. The 24/24 hour on-call allowance is 115,000 VND/person, and the meal allowance is 15,000 VND/person for grade 1 and special grade hospitals.
The total allowance for the entire surgical team for a special surgery lasting 6-8 hours is only 1,480,000 VND. For a kidney transplant or heart surgery that requires very high techniques, the main surgeon and the main anesthesiologist are compensated 280,000 VND; two assistant surgeons and anesthesiologist 200,000 VND; and the assisting nurse 120,000 VND.
A doctor working at a second-class hospital lamented: Every month, a doctor will be on duty for about 5-7 days, but the total allowance for on-duty is less than 1 million VND. The allowance is 90,000 VND and 15,000 VND for meals for a 24-hour shift, from the previous morning to the next morning. This food money is not enough to buy a bowl of pho.
At lower levels, on-duty pay and allowances are even lower. On-duty pay for commune health station staff is currently 18,750 VND/night on weekdays, 32,500 VND on weekends, and 15,000 VND/night for meals.
Doctor Pham Thu Tra - Chairman of the Bach Mai Hospital Trade Union - said that compared to other professions, the overtime pay in the medical industry is very low. A hard night's work but medical staff receive 115,000 VND. Meanwhile, a doctor studies for 6 years and then studies for 18 more months to get a practice certificate. Some people even study for ten years.
Increase allowances and early duty pay as soon as possible
Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that currently, due to work pressure, overload, and low remuneration, many highly skilled doctors and medical technicians at public health facilities have quit their jobs to open private clinics, or transferred to work at private hospitals, causing many public health facilities to lack human resources, be overloaded, and patients to suffer many consequences.
Increase allowances and on-duty pay for medical staff by two to three times to ensure income. This is a necessary step towards fairness for doctors and medical staff in the context of escalating consumer prices, and the old allowances have become outdated.
According to current regulations, the main surgeon in a special surgery receives an allowance of 280,000 VND, the assistant surgeon 200,000 VND, and the assistant surgeon 120,000 VND. The amount decreases gradually according to the level of the surgery: type 1, type 2, type 3. For type 3 surgery, the amount decreases to 50,000; 30,000 and 15,000 VND respectively.
According to the latest proposal of the Ministry of Health, the allowance for employees participating in 24-hour shifts at grade I and special hospitals will increase by VND210,000; the main surgeon in a special surgery will receive an allowance of VND790,000, 2.8 times higher than the current amount.
The draft is currently seeking comments from the public and relevant agencies and is expected to be submitted to the Government next November. This draft has many adjustments to increase the allowances for on-duty, surgery, and epidemic prevention.
