Difficult from commune health station...
Tam Quang Commune Health Station (Tuong Duong) is one of the units that performs quite well in protecting and providing primary health care for the people. Every year, the station examines and treats over 4,000 people; guides people in environmental sanitation, ensures food safety and hygiene, prevents the occurrence of epidemics; and effectively implements national health target projects and programs. Tam Quang Commune Health Station has received many Certificates of Merit from the Provincial People's Committee, Certificates of Merit from the Department of Health and the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district.
According to Doctor La Van Nam - Head of Tam Quang Commune Health Station: To achieve these achievements, the station has worked hard. In addition, thanks to the station's history, there have always been doctors working regularly. The doctor currently working at the station is Ms. Vi Thi Thuy (32 years old, from the commune), who started working in 2019. With a doctor working at the health station, medical examination, treatment and communication work will be more effective.
In Tuong Duong district, not only Tam Quang commune, but all 17/17 communes and towns have doctors working long-term. Doctor Vi Xuan Chien - Director of Tuong Duong District Medical Center shared: 10 years ago, the number of doctors working at the station was very small. To overcome this, the district sent students to study for recruitment; created favorable conditions for doctors to study at university. The center surveyed, searched and encouraged and mobilized children from the hometown who were studying at medical universities to work. Thereby, by 2018, 100% of commune and town health stations had doctors working... However, it must be said that this result is not sustainable, there are still many concerns.
Medical staff are at risk of shortage because in the coming time a large number of medical staff will reach retirement age. Meanwhile, recruiting doctors is very difficult.
Doctor Vi Xuan Chien - Director of Tuong Duong District Medical Center
Having a doctor working regularly at the health station is the dream of many localities in the province. Doctor Nguyen Thi Hong - Head of the health station of Mau Duc commune (Con Cuong) shared: "The station currently does not have a doctor. Although the health sector and the district have been recruiting and calling for doctors for many years, no one has come. With a doctor, the people's rights are better guaranteed; the station can perform more technical services."
Similarly, Doctor Vo Quang Tien - Head of Lam Son Commune Health Station (Do Luong) expressed: "Currently, there are still no doctors working regularly at the Station. I hope that the industry will recruit and add doctors to the station to meet the health care needs of the people in the area."
... to district health care
Not only the commune level, but also the district level is facing difficulties in recruiting doctors. Doctor Nguyen Huy Phuc - Director of Nghi Loc District General Hospital said: At this time, the unit's human resources are lacking, not meeting the requirements of medical examination and treatment tasks. Meanwhile, attracting and recruiting high-quality human resources is facing difficulties. All levels and sectors need to have synchronous, feasible and effective solutions in the plan to train and develop human resources to ensure the needs of medical units in the province.
Doctor Le Duc Hai - Director of Do Luong District General Hospital also said: The total number of hospital staff is 247 people, including 57 doctors. Currently, the lack of human resources does not meet the job position structure according to the regulations of the Ministry of Health, Social Insurance on the time limit for medical examination, performing paraclinical techniques, and specialized techniques. The percentage of staff implementing the minimum assigned staff is only 78.6%. Recruitment of some job positions is very difficult, such as: Doctor, Bachelor of Nursing, Bachelor of Imaging Technology.
In 2023, the center recruited 32 people, including 15 doctors. However, the result was only 5 doctors recruited, including 1 reserve doctor. The recruited doctors were not graduates of the top medical universities in the country. Some people had also been recruited at larger hospitals, and when they failed, they came to our unit.
In fact, even large hospitals are in great need of doctors, so newly graduated doctors are not interested in working at grassroots level. Grassroots medical examination and treatment units are currently having a hard time attracting doctors when their remuneration and income are not attractive.
Doctor Nguyen Huu Hong - Director of Nghia Dan District Medical Center
According to Dr. Nguyen Huu Hong, recruiting doctors to work at the district health center is difficult, and it is even more difficult at the commune health station. At this time, Nghia Dan district only has 80% of health stations with doctors. In the near future, there will be quite a few doctors working regularly at the station who will reach retirement age according to the regime.
Need strong and flexible solutions
Information from Nghe An Department of Health: As of September 2024, the total number of primary health care workers is 4,556, including 1,183 doctors; the total number of primary health care workers is 2,649, including 368 doctors. The rate of communes with full-time doctors is 78.3%.
Currently, the number of employees assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to grassroots health units is not enough compared to the minimum quota prescribed in Circular No. 03/2023/TT-BYT. However, the annual recruitment is not enough compared to the approved plan, especially the team of doctors at commune health stations and health centers. The recruitment rate in 2023 at grassroots health units is only 46%.
Meanwhile, the rate of doctors regularly working at commune health stations is decreasing due to difficulties in recruitment; doctors currently working are reaching retirement age; doctors tend to move to work at private health facilities. Training to improve the quality of human resources for grassroots health is also facing difficulties due to the shortage of human resources, not enough people to work. The trend of medical staff quitting is increasing, especially the team of doctors (the number of people quitting from 2023 to June 2024 is 90 people, including 28 doctors). Students currently tend not to choose the medical profession. Newly graduated doctors do not want to work at the grassroots level. The system of private hospitals is growing, with a need to recruit highly qualified human resources.
Reality requires all levels and sectors to have comprehensive solutions to effectively implement the recruitment of medical human resources. Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung - Director of the Department of Health said: There are many factors for a doctor to decide to work at a medical unit. First, it is the ideal working environment that helps the doctor express his/her aspirations, creativity, and professional training. Second is the income factor. Third is the family factor and other secondary factors... Regarding subjective desires, we cannot change. What we can do is to improve the working environment from equipment, facilities to improving administration, management, operation and quality of medical examination and treatment, attracting patients at the units.
On the side of the Department of Health, we will continue to propose to the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee to issue specific policies to attract and support training more flexibly and strongly to develop human resources in the health sector in a sustainable manner, especially in grassroots health care; invest in improving the environment and working conditions for health officials and employees; build a friendly working environment, build an office culture to create conditions for health officials to be attached to, proud of their profession and proud of their work unit.
Dr. Le Thi Hoai Chung - Director of Nghe An Department of Health
To overcome difficulties in recruiting doctors for commune health stations, the health sector continues to strengthen training, sending medical staff to attend continuing education courses; encouraging medical staff to study to improve their knowledge; implementing the increase of doctors working in communes on a rotational basis for a limited period of time... The Department of Health also proposed that the Ministry of Health expand training programs by location and ensure that doctors after training have stable, long-term jobs in the locality./.
Source: https://baonghean.vn/kho-trong-thu-hut-bac-si-ve-co-so-o-nghe-an-10294835.html
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