Mechanisms are needed to attract and retain doctors.

(baonghean.vn) - On the morning of October 14th, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council conducted an inspection of the recruitment and employment of civil servants and public employees at the Department of Health.

Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, and Head of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Council - chaired the meeting.

Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam concluded the working session.

Monitoring has revealed that the Department of Health currently manages and utilizes a large number of personnel, totaling 9,507 officials, employees, and workers. This includes 84 positions in state-managed units; 6,323 positions in public service units (hospitals, provincial and district-level health centers); and 3,072 positions in commune, ward, and town health stations.

Director of the Department of Health, Bui Dinh Long, reported on the recruitment and employment situation of officials, employees, and workers in the sector.

However, compared to the total number of staff allocated by the province, the sector is currently short 1,006 officials and employees. According to the central government's regulations on the ratio of medical staff to hospital beds in public service units, the sector is still lacking 1,559 staff positions, and commune-level health stations are short 407 positions due to population growth. This greatly affects the sector's performance and the quality of service provided to patients at medical facilities. For example, Nghe An Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital only has 0.92/1.2 medical staff as required; Quynh Luu General Hospital has less than 1%; and even the Provincial Oncology Hospital only has 0.6% medical staff per hospital bed... In addition to the shortage of total staff, the sector is also facing difficulties in selecting the right personnel structure. The necessary workforce (doctors) cannot be recruited, while the large workforce (those with college and vocational training) is in surplus, putting pressure on the sector.

Representatives of the monitoring team participated in the meeting to offer their opinions.

During the working session, the members of the supervisory delegation showed interest in many issues, which were clarified by the Health sector, such as the mechanism for attracting and retaining doctors; the quality of the specialized team for population and family planning at the commune level transferred to civil servants managed by the health sector; the process of recruitment, attraction, rotation, assignment, secondment, training, and professional development of health sector officials and employees; the transfer and reinforcement of doctors to lower-level facilities in conjunction with policies; the relationship between the Department of Health and the governments of districts, cities, and towns in the recruitment and placement of health officials and employees; and improvements in medical ethics in health facilities.

Concluding the meeting, Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam shared his understanding of the difficulties currently facing the sector in the recruitment, management, and utilization of cadres, civil servants, and workers. He also noted the need for a clear distinction between civil servants, public employees, and contract workers performing specialized tasks, as well as those with fixed-term work contracts. He emphasized the need to strengthen training and professional development for the workforce, linking it with education and enhancing the sense of responsibility and ethical conduct of medical professionals in healthcare facilities. Alongside promoting the application of advanced and new techniques in medical examination and treatment, the sector also needs to pay attention to the grassroots healthcare system, ensuring better primary healthcare for the people. He also acknowledged the sector's suggestions and recommendations for submission to relevant agencies for consideration and resolution.

MINH CHI