Why have some doctors not been paid allowances according to Decree 05?

Recently, reporters from Dan Tri newspaper received feedback from several healthcare workers in Ho Chi Minh City, expressing their desire to receive the preferential professional allowance as soon as possible, in accordance with Decree 05/2023/ND-CP, for healthcare workers directly involved in epidemic control efforts during 2022 and 2023.

Decree 05/2023/ND-CP on preferential allowances for medical staff

Based on Conclusion 25-KL/TW (December 30, 2021), the preferential allowance for preventive and primary healthcare workers will be increased from 40-70% to 100%. The period of application is from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.

Target audience: Regular, directly employed professionals at: Preventive health facilities (including border quarantine); commune, ward, and town health stations; regional polyclinics; maternity homes; district, county, town, and city-level health centers and hospitals within provinces or centrally-administered cities.

No allowances may be paid according to Decree 05.

Ms. T., an employee of a specialized department at Khanh Hoi General Hospital (formerly District 4 Hospital), shared that after the Government 's Decree No. 05 was issued in April 2023, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health sent a document reporting on the local need for preferential funding for medical professions.

According to this document, the hospital will report the source of funding for payment, and if the funds are insufficient, guidance will be provided for the allocation of state budget funds.

Subsequently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health issued two more documents related to the above matter. One of these documents, dated November 25, 2024, provided guidance on prioritizing funding to pay allowances under Decree 05 to healthcare workers.

However, according to Ms. T., to date, more than 100 employees at District 4 Hospital who are eligible to receive payments under Decree 05 have not yet received their payments for the years 2022 and 2023.

“During the pandemic, traveling and fighting the disease was arduous, and we only hoped to contribute our efforts to caring for people's health. When we heard about Decree 05, we were very happy because our efforts were recognized. Based on the salary coefficient, I should receive about 70 million VND.”

The hospital promised to pay, but it's been two years and we haven't heard anything. For us healthcare workers, this is a significant source of income that helps us provide for our families and children,” Ms. T. said.

Similarly, Mr. V. - an employee of a treatment department at Khanh Hoi Hospital - also shared that he has been waiting for the allowance under Decree 05 for a long time, but still doesn't know when he will receive it.

The situation of not receiving or not receiving sufficient allowances according to Decree 05 in the years 2022-2023 also occurred with some medical staff at other units such as Binh Phu General Hospital (formerly District 6 Hospital), Le Van Viet Hospital, etc.

Hospital leaders speak out.

A reporter from Dan Tri newspaper contacted the leadership of Khanh Hoi Hospital to inquire about the matter. Dr. Do Thanh Tuan, Director of the hospital, stated that the unit's medical staff have not yet received the professional incentive allowance as stipulated in Decree 05/2023/ND-CP.

According to Dr. Tuan, after the Covid-19 pandemic, Decree 05 was issued by the Government with the policy of providing financial support to grassroots healthcare facilities and district-level hospitals to encourage their efforts in combating the pandemic.

The beneficiaries of this support are civil servants who are directly and regularly involved in medical work related to epidemic control (civil servants with job code V08). At Khanh Hoi Hospital, there are more than 100 people who fall under this category.

To disburse funds, hospitals must prepare a budget list and submit it to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health for compilation, then forward it to the Department of Finance and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee for approval.

By the end of November 2024, after numerous instructions, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health sent a document to district and Thu Duc City hospitals, stating that these units must prioritize using revenue from their operational activities and other legitimate funding sources to make payments.

"Some hospitals have surplus funds, so they can spend enough; some even manage to cover a year's worth of staff expenses. But our hospital has no surplus funds, so we can't find any other way to balance our budget."

Spending in the manner described above also creates inequality, because in the fight against the pandemic, both those directly and indirectly involved are working tirelessly.

"For all of the above reasons, the hospital has submitted written explanations and recommendations to the city. During the recent inspection by the Department of Health to survey patient and healthcare worker satisfaction, we also provided detailed feedback on this matter," Dr. Tuan shared.

The leadership of Binh Phu General Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) stated that the hospital does not disburse the professional incentive allowance under Decree 05/ND-CP to eligible medical staff. The reason is that the unit lacks the funds to pay it.

At Le Van Viet Hospital (formerly District 9), the head of the unit stated that they had allocated budget to pay allowances to over 100 medical staff eligible under Decree 05 for the period of 2022. For 2023, the unit no longer has the budget to make these payments.

Lãnh Binh Thăng General Hospital (formerly District 11 Hospital) is the place that fully pays the Decree 05 allowance to civil servants with job code V08 working at the unit.

Explaining this, a member of the hospital's board of directors said that the unit had established a salary reform fund many years ago, so it had sufficient resources to pay the aforementioned amount.

"Fortunately, the allowance scheme under Decree 05 only applies to the years 2022 and 2023; otherwise, we would have struggled. Because the basic salary has increased and there are many other income sources to pay for staff, the hospital is also facing difficulties," said the Lãnh Binh Thăng Hospital.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health: Hospitals must balance their own finances to cover the costs.

In response to a reporter's question, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health stated that, in order to implement Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP, the agency has issued directives and guidelines to its subordinate units to compile accurate lists of eligible civil servants for the years 2022-2023, ensuring that no eligible individuals are overlooked.

Regarding payments, the Department of Health has issued numerous directives instructing units to review and compile funding needs and propose funding sources from the state budget, revenue from professional activities, and other legitimate sources. The agency has also reported to and recommended that the Department of Finance and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City consider supplementing funding for these units.

Based on guidance from the Ministry of Finance and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance, the Department of Health requests that units prioritize the use of revenue from operational activities and other legitimate funding sources to pay preferential professional allowances to civil servants directly and regularly engaged in medical professional work.

In cases where units have not yet paid or have not fully paid the professional incentive allowance according to Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP, the Department of Health requests that the units balance their financial resources to develop a payment plan.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, many units have now implemented the payment of professional incentive allowances as stipulated above. Among them, Le Van Viet Hospital has made payments for three quarters of the year.

The Department of Health affirms that it always pays attention to, monitors, and regularly reminds and guides its affiliated units to pay professional incentive allowances in accordance with the regulations of Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP, ensuring the legitimate rights of medical staff.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/vi-sao-mot-so-y-bac-si-chua-duoc-chi-tra-phu-cap-theo-nghi-dinh-05-20250718132658968.htm