Health sector faces shortage of about 40,000 nurses

Nurses take care of patients. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam, if investment in nursing training is not increased, by 2030, the Vietnamese health sector may face a shortage of about 40,000-50,000 nurses.

To achieve a standard nursing rate and better meet people's healthcare needs, the health sector needs 2-3 times more nurses than the current number.

The above information was given at the seminar "Nursing profession: No worries about unemployment, AI cannot replace it," organized by Dan Tri Electronic Newspaper in collaboration with VinUni University on May 30, in Hanoi .

Salary and benefits are not commensurate

At the seminar, Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue - Vice Chairman of the National Medical Council, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management ( Ministry of Health ) said that currently there are more than 1,400 public hospitals and more than 300 non-public hospitals with a system of head nurses and nurses doing management and care work. The nursing force accounts for 70% of the medical examination and treatment force. However, currently the nursing force is still lacking.

“In terms of quality, most hospitals use intermediate level nurses, while the need to improve quality is to have 50-70% of nurses with college and university degrees. We do not have professors or associate professors in nursing, while neighboring countries like Thailand have a team of teachers teaching nursing and nursing practice,” said Mr. Khue.

The Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management analyzed that the current attraction of the nursing profession is not there because the work is hard and tiring, but the salary and benefits are not commensurate with the labor force, the working conditions have been improved but have not met the needs... Many places still do not properly evaluate the role of nursing. That shows that there are still many dark spots in the picture of nursing work.

Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue - Vice Chairman of the National Medical Council, Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health). (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

“For nurses who graduate, the starting salary is only 2.8 million VND, and in the near future, the salary increase will be 3 million VND. With such a salary, it is very difficult. Currently, the mechanism of hospital autonomy is in place. At state hospitals, the salary of nurses is 2.5 times higher at most, and at good hospitals, it is only 6-7 million VND. Secondly, private healthcare is currently developing, and also pays quite high, possibly double this salary, so there is a shift between public and private. This is a challenge that requires hospitals to innovate, innovate from hospital fees to component costs, and calculate prices, including care services, which must be calculated correctly and sufficiently to be able to pay nurses better salaries,” Mr. Khue emphasized.

Referring to the current nursing training, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long - Director of the Nursing Program, Institute of Health Sciences, VinUni University said that VinUni is training 3 courses of nursing bachelors. The 4-year training program follows both the national qualification framework and the world's common practice when training at the university level. During the course of study, students have many opportunities to practice at hospitals. Currently, all nursing bachelors at VinUni will be admitted to Vinmec International General Hospital upon graduation.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long - Director of Nursing Program, Institute of Health Sciences, VinUni University. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Long emphasized that during the training process of the first course students, although they were only in their third year, the school invited experts to follow the Fulbright Scholar Program in the US for a month to train students in exam strategies and content for the US practice certificate exam. The purpose is that when students want to participate in one of the most difficult practice certificate exams in the world today, they will have been prepared in advance and if they pass that exam, they will be able to conquer even more difficult or equally difficult exams in other countries around the world.

In particular, if studying nursing at VinUni University, in addition to professional training, students can also study minor majors in business and administration, science and technology, information management, etc.

Many job opportunities

Dr. Tran Quang Huy - Vice President of the Vietnam Nursing Association said that Vietnam is currently facing an aging population, we have passed the golden population period. According to the rule, the older the age, the greater the need for health care. Therefore, the need for nursing staff is very large.

“We see that nursing will have more job opportunities. When the population ages, it will no longer be traditional care such as acute care in internal, surgical, and obstetric hospitals, but also new care jobs such as how to care for the elderly, how to care at home, how to provide rehabilitation care, etc.

Dr. Tran Quang Huy - Vice President of Vietnam Nursing Association. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

This opens up many new nursing specialties. This is also an opportunity for nurses to develop their careers and advance, and it is also an opportunity for schools to expand training in these specialties to meet the needs of society," Mr. Tran Quang Huy pointed out.

Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue emphasized that the nursing profession is extremely important in the Vietnamese healthcare system in general and the medical examination and treatment system in particular. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to investing in human resource training, improving capacity and qualifications, and paying special attention to policies for nurses.

"In modern life, AI certainly cannot replace nursing. AI cannot replace the care, concern, concern, tenderness, and gentleness of a nurse. It cannot plan to replace the hands, the mind, the gestures, or the words of encouragement of a nurse to take care of a patient. Care techniques such as feeding, helping patients sleep well, helping patients not cough, helping them feel comfortable in daily activities in the hospital... no one can replace a nurse," Associate Professor Luong Ngoc Khue pointed out.

Experts attending the seminar. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

In the roadmap, the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment passed by the National Assembly on January 9, 2023, effective on January 1, 2024, has regulated the responsibilities of nurses. The Ministry of Health has also proposed many groups of solutions. In particular, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management and hospitals are developing Circular 31 regulating nursing work, highlighting the extremely important roles of nurses, from planning, caring for, treating, guiding patients, prevention, etc.

According to the Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, by 2028, nursing bachelors and nursing professionals will pass the National Medical Council exam to obtain a certain level of qualification. At that time, nurses with high level of competence, entering the hospital environment, medical examination and treatment facilities to practice, updating knowledge of ASEAN countries, the world, on par with other countries in terms of professional competence. They can provide care, treatment, practice in the country and can also go abroad to practice, and have their qualifications and competence of Vietnamese nurses recognized by other countries.

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