By 2020, most hospitals must have social activities: Ministry

The Ministry of Health ordered hospitals nationwide to include social activities into assessment standard for medical workers’ behaviors.
Social work staff gives guideline to patients' relative in a hospital (Photo: SGGP)
Social work staff gives guideline to patients' relative in a hospital (Photo: SGGP)
The Ministry has organized a meeting to review social activities in medical clinics in the South and orient, develop the activities to increase healthcare quality.

Dr. Nguyen Hong Son from the Ministry said in 2010, 10 infirmaries including four big ones and six facilities in districts in the country set up a ward for social activities.

Currently, over 80 percent of hospitals have the special ward, which provides timely support for patients and their relatives. 

Many social wards have worked effectively to help comfort patients’ psychology; give guideline to relatives in treatment procedure and explain about medical insurance, policies.

In fact, social work staffs faces difficulties in daily work because they are not carefully trained. Most of them do both their profession in ward and social work. Fund-raising to support disadvantaged patients in infirmaries can not be implemented widely; accordingly, the fund is limited.
Furthermore, hospital managers paid no heed to social activities; therefore, there has been little investment in the activities. 

With the target that most of infirmaries in the country must have social activities by 2020, the Ministry ordered social work to become one of medical staffs’ behavioral assessement.

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