Minister of Health: Allowances for medical staff will gradually increase

Explaining to the National Assembly on the morning of December 2 about the draft Resolution on a number of breakthrough mechanisms and policies for the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the salary and allowance policy for medical staff in recent times has been very difficult.

Allowances for medical staff will gradually increase.

When drafting Resolution 72, the Politburo allowed the selection of a number of groups and levels for gradually increasing allowances. The Ministry of Health is also submitting to the Government for the development of specific regimes such as on-duty allowances and other allowances for medical staff.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan (Photo: National Assembly)

Recently, many voters and the medical sector have continuously proposed to increase allowances. In the draft Decree in October, the Ministry of Health proposed to increase a series of allowances. For special surgeries, the allowance for the main surgeon, anesthesiologist or main sedative is proposed to increase nearly three times, from 280,000 to 790,000 VND; the levels for type I, II, III surgeries are 355,000, 185,000 and 140,000 VND respectively. The surgical assistant and anesthesiologist can receive 565,000 VND per case; the housekeeper 340,000 VND. For medical procedures, the allowance is equal to 30% of the same type of surgery allowance.

The draft also increases the 24/7 on-call allowance: for class I and special hospitals from 115,000 to 325,000 VND; for class II hospitals from 90,000 to 255,000 VND; for commune health stations, it increases nearly three times to 70,000 VND. The allowance is higher if on call at a special department or on call on holidays and Tet.

Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh, Vinh Long delegation (Photo: National Assembly)

Previously, delegate Thach Phuoc Binh, Vinh Long delegation, said that many medical staff quit their jobs due to the large income gap between the public and private sectors; many dangerous specialties such as emergency, resuscitation, infectious diseases, and testing have not yet received 100% preferential allowances. Delegates are concerned about the risk of a shortage of doctors in the next 10-15 years, when preventive medicine is lacking more than 8,000 doctors, only meeting 42% of the demand.

Delegate Thach Phuoc Binh proposed to build a specific salary scale for the medical sector based on risk, responsibility, and seniority; expand 100% of preferential occupational allowances for equivalent dangerous specialties; increase basic and preventive medical allowances to 100% nationwide, with disadvantaged areas receiving an additional 30-50%. Medical staff also need to be protected by compulsory professional liability insurance, legal support, safety protection, and psychological support for high-pressure departments.

Reviewing and rearranging the grassroots health network

Regarding the policy of attracting socialization in the care of the elderly, the Minister of Health said that, in addition to the existing incentives in Article 16 of the Investment Law for the care of the elderly, people with disabilities and children, this special draft Resolution also proposes additional breakthrough solutions on land and taxes.

Overview of the morning session on December 2 (Photo: National Assembly)

Accordingly, nursing homes will be the direct beneficiaries of these new policies, creating a driving force to attract investment resources.

Minister Dao Hong Lan informed that currently the country has three geriatric hospitals, 14 central hospitals and 48 provincial hospitals with geriatric departments; in the coming time, there will be many specific policies to attract investment in building specialized geriatric hospitals.

“ Currently, in the public investment program, the Ministry has included investment in central-level geriatric hospitals. At the same time, Decision 201 on adjusting the planning of the health facility network is being reviewed in conjunction with the arrangement of local authorities. We recommend that localities identify this as an important task, and after having a plan, they need to pay attention to implementing it ,” the Minister stated.

Regarding the grassroots health network, taking into account the opinions of delegates, the Ministry of Health is reviewing and rearranging it to suit the two-level local government model. It is expected that by 2026, the Ministry will issue a new set of criteria for commune-level health stations, ensuring flexibility and a suitable roadmap for the next 5 years.

The program's budget allocation mechanism is also designed to enhance decentralization. The central government will allocate total capital and assign estimates, while the provincial People's Council will decide on details of implementation in the locality.

Delegate Tran Thi Hien, Ninh Binh delegation (Photo: National Assembly)

Previously, delegate Tran Thi Hien, Ninh Binh delegation, expressed concern that Vietnam's population has entered the aging stage, forecasting that by 2036 it will become an old population and by 2049 it will be a "super old" population, which could create huge pressure on both the State budget and social resources.

In the context of limited public investment resources, the Ninh Binh delegation said that promoting socialization and attracting private resources to develop elderly care services is an objective, urgent and strategic requirement.

The National Assembly is expected to pass the Resolution on December 11.

Reporter Group (VOV.VN)

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/bo-truong-y-te-se-tang-dan-phu-cap-cho-nhan-vien-y-te-ar990616.html