Brain drain in medical sector causes turmoil

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien admitted a brain drain in health sector  because there has been no special policies to attract good medical workers to work in hospitals in disadvantaged areas so far.
Health Minister Tien speaks at the meeting (Photo: quochoi)
Health Minister Tien speaks at the meeting (Photo: quochoi)
Noticeably, medical workers migrated from distant areas to metropolitan ones that promise higher wages and from public infirmaries to private facilities, a desire to seek a higher standard of living, she said at the National Assembly Committee of Social Affairs’ plenary session on policies towards public self-financing hospitals in Hanoi.
Health Minister Tien acknowledged that there has been hiccups along the way to carry out policies. Additionally, she said medical workers have still asked patients to undergo unnecessary testing and high-paid medical services.
When it comes to recruitment in hospitals, Ms. Tien complained that hospital managers bumped into difficulties because of regulations.
Eventually, one doctor and one nurse have to take care of many patients; therefore, relatives of patients must stay in medical facilities to look after patients but they are not professional as nurses.
However, she affirmed too much self-finance also creates unfairness between medical workers who work in different hospitals plus people have to pay more on medical services.
Mentioning medical service abuse, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Social Insurance Agency Pham Luong Son said his agency has applied several measures such as hi-tech against this.

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