Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City: More doctors and nurses leave during COVID-19 pandemic due to low income

The number of doctors and medical staff quitting Hung Vuong Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City to go to private hospitals is even higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baby born at a maternity hospital in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: DUYEN PHAN

On December 25, the Culture - Social Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council conducted a survey at Hung Vuong Hospital with the theme "Developing the health system - Comprehensive health care for the people of the city".

Reporting to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Society, Dr. Hoang Thi Diem Tuyet - Director of Hung Vuong Hospital - said that although Hung Vuong Hospital is a grade 1 hospital, the income of doctors and medical staff is still not commensurate with the efforts of doctors and medical staff, so there is a shift of doctors and medical staff from the public system to the private system.

"When we have trained you to be competent and expect you to contribute more, you will move to private hospitals. The hospital will have to train a new class. The patients will be the ones who suffer the most. Because a newly graduated doctor with less experience serving patients will affect the quality," Dr. Diem Tuyet stated the reality.

Currently, the leaders of Hung Vuong Hospital are very concerned about how to increase income for doctors and medical staff of the hospital.

The income of doctors and medical staff in the hospital is not too different from the private system, to retain medical staff. This is one of the difficulties of Hung Vuong Hospital and also a common difficulty of the current public hospital system, Dr. Diem Tuyet informed.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Dr. Diem Tuyet added that the number of doctors and hospital medical staff quitting their jobs is higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

When resigning, these employees also stated that it was due to the need for income. The income of Hung Vuong Hospital is higher than that of public hospitals in the city but much lower than that of private hospitals. A doctor working in a maternity hospital must dedicate a lot of time and effort.

According to information from the hospital, the time to study to become a doctor in medical university lasts 6 years. After that, to become an obstetrician, you have to study specialty 1 for 2 years, specialty 2 for 2 years.

Thus, it takes 10 years to become a "skilled" obstetrician. During the evening shift, obstetricians have to work all night. However, currently, a doctor's shift is only paid 60,000 VND.

"I personally feel that the current salary is not suitable for the effort that doctors put in," Dr. Diem Tuyet expressed her opinion.

Private hospitals also serve patients, but public hospitals serve the disadvantaged. If this situation continues, public hospitals will only have young, inexperienced doctors, and disadvantaged patients will be at a disadvantage, Dr. Diem Tuyet worries.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/benh-vien-hung-vuong-tp-hcm-y-bac-si-roi-di-nhieu-hon-thoi-dich-covid-19-vi-thu-nhap-thap-20241225162234276.htm