Nghe An still lacks 175 commune-level veterinary staff.

Reality "difference" in regulations

As a district with a large livestock herd, the shortage of commune veterinary staff is causing significant difficulties in disease prevention and livestock development in Yen Thanh district. Director of the District Agricultural Service Center, Mr. Nguyen Trong Huong said: Up to now, the district has only re-recruited 18/39 commune veterinary staff. According to regulations, recruits must have a veterinary secondary degree or higher, but young people with full qualifications do not want to work, while many people with seniority and work experience cannot be re-recruited because they do not meet the requirements for qualifications. The shortage of grassroots veterinary staff has been causing many difficulties for the locality in monitoring and preventing epidemics in the area.

In the current situation where household livestock farming still accounts for a large proportion with many shortcomings, it is extremely necessary to quickly arrange enough veterinary staff at the commune level. Photo: Phu Huong

For mountainous districts, the re-arrangement of commune veterinary positions is even more difficult. Ms. Lo Thi Tam, an officer of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Con Cuong district, said: Up to now, only 5/13 communes have recruited veterinary staff. "Those who want to work, are enthusiastic and have experience, but their qualifications are not enough. Young people mainly work as workers in industrial parks, go to work, but few go to study veterinary medicine. Many communes have tried for a long time but still have not received any applications," Ms. Lo Thi Tam shared.

Commune veterinary staff are the leading force in monitoring, vaccinating and preventing epidemics in the locality. Photo courtesy of Phu Huong

Currently, to overcome this, many communes are spending their own budgets, mobilizing and hiring people with expertise and experience; or a very few communes have part-time agricultural officers with veterinary expertise; however, according to Ms. Tam, the responsibility of these people cannot be as high as when they take on the position of part-time commune veterinary officer.

More than 1/3 of communes still do not have veterinary staff.

According to information from the provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, as of May 3, 2022, Nghe An has only re-recruited 285 commune veterinary officers, while the demand is 460 people. Thus, more than 1/3 of the communes still do not have veterinary officers; the whole province still lacks 175 commune-level veterinary officers.

Only 3 localities, Quy Chau, Cua Lo town and Nghia Dan district, have recruited enough people. Some districts have very low recruitment rates such as Ky Son, where only 1/21 communes have recruited people, Nghi Loc 7/29 communes, Thanh Chuong 21/38 communes, Anh Son 3/21 communes...

Veterinary staff of Xuan Son commune (Do Luong) spray disinfectant to prevent epidemics. Photo courtesy of Phu Huong

According to Mr. Dang Van Minh - Head of the Provincial Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, in the past, the Provincial People's Committee has issued many directives to quickly restore the grassroots veterinary system, but in reality, there are still many difficulties. While the allowance level is still low, it has not attracted people who have studied veterinary medicine with good expertise; the regulation that the title of grassroots veterinarian in the plains must have a veterinary intermediate degree or higher and in mountainous and difficult areas must have a primary degree or higher makes it difficult for many localities to recruit.

To meet the requirements of human resources for monitoring, organizing and advising on disease prevention, vaccination and livestock protection, localities need to base on the actual situation and have appropriate solutions to quickly restore this system; because only then can we increase the vaccination rate and do better disease surveillance in the area.