Increasing on-call and surgical allowances for doctors and nurses is reasonable.

Staff of Dong Nai General Hospital during working hours. Photo: H. Dung

Over the past 14 years, the situation of rising prices and many other related issues has shown that these allowances are too low and no longer suitable for the current economic and living situation.

Direct deposit too low

Doctor Nguyen Thi Lien, Head of Trang Dai Ward Health Station (Bien Hoa City) said that the station has 13 staff members. Each 24/7 shift at the station has 2 people, including a specialist, nurse and security guard; on a rotating basis.

According to Decision No. 73/2011/QD-TTg dated December 28, 2011 of the Prime Minister stipulating a number of special allowances for civil servants, public employees, and workers in public health facilities and anti-epidemic allowances, for each shift, Dr. Lien is supported with 25,000 VND, plus 15,000 VND for meals.

“The total cost of care and food is 40,000 VND. Compared to 11 years ago, this amount of money could buy 2 meals for a normal family, but now it cannot,” said Dr. Lien.

On April 8, the Government Office announced the conclusion of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh during his visit to Bach Mai Hospital to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Vietnam Doctors' Day. In the announcement, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Health to urgently propose special policies for medical staff, including raising the level of preferential allowances for civil servants working in public medical facilities.

Also stating that the surgical allowance is no longer reasonable, Dr. Nguyen Van Toan, Department of Orthopedics and Burns, Dong Nai Children's Hospital, shared that on average each surgery lasts from 2-3 hours, with some surgeries even lasting 7 hours. However, the current allowance for the main surgeon, anesthesiologist or main anesthetist is only 280 thousand VND/person for special surgeries. For surgeries I, II, III, the allowance gradually decreases to 125 thousand VND, 65 thousand VND and 50 thousand VND. The allowance for assistant surgeons and surgical assistants is also very low, only from 15-200 thousand VND depending on the type of surgery.

According to Dr. Toan, to be able to practice independently, a doctor needs to study and practice for 8-9 years, and has great professional responsibility. Therefore, increasing the allowance for on-call duty, surgery, and epidemic prevention is necessary and reasonable to support some of the living expenses so that doctors and nurses do not have to worry too much about "food, clothing, rice, and money" and can focus on their profession.

Expected to increase allowances nearly 3 times

The Ministry of Health is drafting a Government decree stipulating a number of special allowances for civil servants, public employees, and workers in public health facilities and anti-epidemic allowances in the direction of increasing the allowance level nearly 3 times compared to the current level to ensure a minimum living standard and wages for workers when performing their duties.

According to the proposal of the Ministry of Health, the special surgery allowance for the main surgeon, anesthetist or main sedative is 790 thousand VND/person/surgery, an increase of 510 thousand VND. The allowances for surgeries I, II, III also increase from 90-230 thousand VND. For the assistant surgeon, the assistant anesthetist or assistant anesthetist, and the person directly assisting the surgery, the allowance is also proposed to increase by nearly 3 times.

Medical staff of Dong Nai General Hospital perform testing procedures at the hospital. Photo: H. Dung

Regarding the on-duty allowance, the new draft decree adds the subjects of application to be civil servants, people working under labor contracts working at emergency facilities outside hospitals, public forensic forensic organizations in the health sector and the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation.

Specifically, the highest on-duty allowance is 325,000 VND/person/shift for special-class and class I medical facilities, the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry; the Central Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Bien Hoa, an increase of 210,000 VND.

For grade II medical facilities, the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, regional forensic psychiatric centers, and the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation (for those on duty coordinating the collection, transplantation, transportation, and preservation of human tissues and organs), the proposed allowance is 255,000 VND/person/shift, an increase of 165,000 VND.

For remaining hospitals and other equivalent facilities, provincial forensic centers, and the National Coordination Center for Human Organ Transplantation (for on-call consultation and mobilization for human tissue and organ donation), the on-call allowance is 185,000 VND, an increase of 120,000 VND.

Allowance for on-duty at commune health stations, military and civilian health stations, military infirmaries, and people's police infirmaries is 70,000 VND, an increase of 45,000 VND. Meal allowance increases from 15,000 VND to 40,000 VND.

Regarding the anti-epidemic allowance, people participating in the fight against infectious diseases in groups A, B, and C receive 425,000 VND, 280,000 VND, and 210,000 VND/day/person, respectively, an increase of nearly 3 times compared to the current level.

For village and residential group health workers and village midwives, the Ministry of Health proposes a monthly support level of 0.7 and 0.5 times the basic salary, depending on the actual situation in the locality.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202504/tang-phu-cap-truc-phau-thuat-cho-y-bac-si-la-hop-ly-86405bc/