It is necessary to create conditions for medical personnel to work and be attached for a long time.
In the problem of consolidating grassroots healthcare after arrangement, attracting doctors is one of the most difficult stages.
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuan - Director of Cau Giay Ward Health Station (Hanoi) - said that the biggest difficulty currently is recruiting, using and maintaining a team of doctors and public employees with high professional qualifications. The income level and remuneration regime are not commensurate with the workload, not meeting the needs of life, especially for young doctors and medical staff. From that reality, Cau Giay Ward Health Station proposed that ministries and sectors soon review and amend regulations on the organization and operation of Health Stations to suit the two-level local government model; issue specific mechanisms for attracting, training and retaining human resources...
From attractive policies to the working environment
Tay Ninh province has issued Resolution 41/2025/NQ-HĐND on policies to attract medical human resources for the period 2026-2030, applicable to human resources working at health stations under commune-level People's Committees. According to the resolution, doctors working at health stations under communes and wards are supported with a one-time amount of 325 million VND; in border communes is 416 million VND. Specialist doctors level II and resident doctors are supported with 546 million VND and 715 million VND respectively. Policy beneficiaries must commit to working hours as prescribed.
According to the Tay Ninh Department of Health, attracting doctors to the grassroots level requires sustainable solutions.
Ninh Binh province is also developing policies to attract, train and develop health human resources for the period 2026-2030 to submit to the Provincial People's Council. The priority group includes doctors, university pharmacists and highly qualified personnel working at health stations. The proposed options include one-time support when recruiting, postgraduate training support, income support and other incentive policies to attract and retain doctors.
According to Mr. Trinh Viet Dien - Head of the Organization and Personnel Department (under Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Health), the arrangement of human resources in the coming time needs to be based on population size, local characteristics and workload of each station, instead of just relying on the number of focal points.
Do not let health stations operate alone
Ho Chi Minh City orients 168 health stations to connect with hospitals to receive professional support, organize mobile examinations, and gradually become a focal point for managing people's health in the area, reducing pressure on upper levels.
Mr. Huynh Minh Chinh - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health - said that the arrangement of staff for 168 health stations is still difficult. The Department is contributing opinions to amend regulations, and at the same time deploying human resource rotation from hospitals and specialized units to support grassroots levels.
In Hanoi, the 17th City People's Council has passed a Resolution on policies to develop the Capital's health system, supplement resources to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment and solve the shortage of grassroots human resources. The policy applies to health facilities, commune and ward health stations and medical staff in the area.
The most notable point is the financial support policy for doctors, nurses, midwives and medical techniques assigned to rotate at medical facilities for one month or more. Accordingly, Hanoi will provide additional monthly support with a maximum level of 20 million VND for professors and associate professors participating in professional rotation at lower levels. Doctors and specialists level II are supported with 17 million VND/month; resident doctors, masters, specialists level I receive 12 million VND/month; doctors are supported with 10 million VND/month. For nurses, midwives and medical techniques with bachelor's degrees, the support level is 8 million VND/month; college degrees are supported with 6 million VND/month.
The resolution also allows medical facilities to sign contracts with experts for training, teaching and technical expertise support. The support level is calculated by working session. Professors and associate professors receive 2 million VND/session; doctors and specialists level II receive 1.5 million VND/session; resident doctors, masters, specialists level I receive 1 million VND/session. For nurses, midwives and medical techniques with university degrees or higher, the support level is 500,000 VND/session.
According to localities, consolidating grassroots health care needs to synchronize 4 pillars: policies to attract and retain human resources; arranging people according to actual needs; investing in facilities and technology; increasing professional support from higher levels. Through this, health stations become places to manage people's health.
