Ca Mau: Primary healthcare facilities face challenges ranging from human resources to funding.

On March 4th, in Ca Mau province, a delegation from the Ministry of Health, led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc, held a working session with the People's Committee of Ca Mau province.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc (on the left) presents a symbolic plaque donating medical equipment to Ca Mau province.

According to the Ca Mau Provincial Department of Health , following the merger, the provincial health system currently operates with 7 provincial-level centers, 24 general and specialized hospitals, and 64 commune-level health stations.

Currently, many healthcare facilities are facing financial and resource constraints. Autonomous units in groups 2 and 3 are experiencing insufficient revenue to cover expenses, leading to prolonged delays in salary and allowance payments for healthcare staff. Localities are also facing shortages of specialized medical personnel and technical staff; and healthcare infrastructure in many areas is showing signs of serious deterioration.

Some issues require central government intervention, such as: health insurance medical examination and treatment costs exceeding the budget in the periods 2018-2020 and 2023-2024, totaling over 229 billion VND, which remain unpaid; and goods and equipment borrowed for COVID-19 prevention and control, with a total value of over 114 billion VND, for which there is still no mechanism for definitively resolving the issue.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, Nguyen Minh Luan, speaks at the working session.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Luan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ca Mau province, further informed that the province is facing many difficulties in managing the health sector. Therefore, the Ministry of Health needs to provide specific guidance on job positions at health facilities; remove bottlenecks in health insurance payments exceeding the budget; encourage private sector development to reduce the burden on the budget; and recalculate the health standards at the commune level so that these areas truly become primary healthcare facilities, avoiding fragmented and unsustainable investments.

Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc speaks at the working session.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc acknowledged all the difficulties faced by the locality in order to advise on the issuance of a national plan for the development of healthcare human resources. He also requested that Ca Mau province pay attention to training and the implementation of electronic medical records.

On this occasion, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Tri Thuc donated ultrasound machines, biochemical analyzers, electrocardiographs, and blood glucose meters, worth a total of 1.2 billion VND, to three health stations in Ca Mau province.

TAN THAI

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ca-mau-y-te-co-so-gap-kho-tu-nhan-luc-den-nguon-luc-post841154.html