Inadequacies in preferential allowances for population officers according to Decree 05

Feelings after days of fighting the epidemic

Pursuant to Conclusion 25-KL/TW dated December 30, 2021 of the Politburo on "adjusting the preferential allowance regime for preventive medicine and grassroots health workers from 40 - 70% to 100%", the Government issued Decree 05/2023/ND-CP.

Accordingly, the subjects eligible for the preferential allowance are preventive health and primary health officials and will be applied from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023. Specifically, the 100% allowance applies to regular officials who directly work in preventive health (including border health quarantine); work in health care at commune-level health stations, regional polyclinics, maternity homes, district-level health centers and district-level hospitals.

These are the subjects who have been and are enjoying preferential allowances according to their profession at the rate of 40 - 70% as prescribed in Decree 56/2011/ND-CP and Joint Circular 02/2012/TTLT-BYT-BNV-BTC.

Staff of Hung Nguyen District Medical Center participate in vaccination to prevent and control Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: PV

However, those who are not subject to Decree 05 are not entitled to this allowance. This leads to the fact that those working in the health sector such as health education and communication, population - family planning... are not entitled to the additional allowance because they are not in the group that is entitled to the preferential allowance according to the profession at the level of 40 - 70% stipulated in Decree 56.

Receiving this information, Ms. Tran Thi Hong Nhung - a population officer currently working at the Hung Dao Commune Health Station (Hung Nguyen) said: "I feel both sorry and ashamed". More than 2 years ago, when the epidemic first broke out, like all the staff at the health station, she went to the front line in the first days of fighting the epidemic. "At that time, my day started at 6 am and lasted until 11 pm. In addition to the daily work of compiling the list and updating information of people with the epidemic in the commune, we also participated in supporting the collection of samples for testing and treating patients isolated at the commune health station. When the epidemic broke out strongly, there were days when there were more than 70 sick people in the commune, and I was also infected because of frequent close contact"...

During the days of fighting the epidemic, Ms. Nhung shared: "I just know how to do my best, not thinking about myself, not calculating any losses. However, now, she is worried: I feel sad because in the same agency, doing the same job, now some people receive about 100 million VND, while others do not receive any support - Ms. Nhung added.

Decree 05 aims to support medical staff during the time participating in the prevention and control of Covid-19. Photo: CSCC

Nearly 3 years ago, Hung Nguyen was the first locality in Nghe An to be selected to build a field hospital to treat Covid-19 patients. At that time, in addition to the main force of doctors and nurses mobilized from medical facilities across the province to participate in the fight against the epidemic, many other departments were also strengthened to do logistics work, support patient treatment, including population officers working at medical centers.

Our department had 2 volunteers to work at the field hospital for nearly a month. Myself and many other brothers and sisters in the outer circle also "stretched" ourselves to fight the epidemic, that is, working on duty at Ben Thuy bridge to screen subjects, doing communication work, closely following the activities of local leaders to promptly update information, many nights we did not return home until 3 or 4 am. At the commune health stations, all population officers also worked as real medical staff, many even participated in collecting samples, handling waste, and serving quarantine subjects after a period of emergency training.

However, the current problem is that we are not all entitled to the subsidy regime even though Decree 05 was issued to encourage medical staff to participate in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 epidemic. That is both unfair and unencouraging, causing a number of officers and civil servants in the Population sector to lack motivation to strive and unintentionally creating a gap in staff within a unit.

Ms. Cao Thi Nhung - Head of Population Communication Department - Hung Nguyen District Medical Center

This is also a matter of concern and worry for all those who are doing population work at health stations and medical centers in districts, cities and towns.

Ms. Hoang Anh - a population officer in Quy Hop district shared: Previously, when the epidemic broke out, we only knew how to do our assigned responsibilities. The brothers in the station did not distinguish between doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists or population officers. At that time, we only thought about who was suitable for which task. Whoever was free, whenever they could do that job. There was a time when for 10 consecutive days, the whole station, including 7 sisters, brothers, and children, had to be quarantined at the station. Until almost dawn, we were still worried and nervous, just hoping that there would be no phone call reporting that someone tested positive for Covid-19. Despite the hot weather, we still had to wear protective gear and sit with citizens to make health declarations and make quick reports for nearly 10 hours, without time to eat or drink.

During the days of fighting the epidemic, everyone's health was affected. I went from 57 kg to 53 kg, and my 15-month-old baby was weaned because the mother had to be quarantined. The issuance of Decree 05 gave grassroots health workers more motivation, but took away so much hope and sacrifice from the population staff.

Need to be noted

Since mid-August 2020, along with the whole country, the Population - Family Planning Centers of Nghe An province have been merged into the health centers and population officers in communes and wards have been transferred to work at health stations and operate as medical staff at the grassroots level. Therefore, when the Covid-19 epidemic occurred, they, along with other departments in the unit, participated in all activities and considered this a common task of the unit. However, when Decree 05 was implemented, this group was not included in the list of beneficiaries. Faced with this reality, many health centers in the province have sent documents to the Department of Health with the hope that the industry will have a voice to be adjusted and cared for.

Document of Nghe An Department of Health sent to the Ministry of Health on the implementation of Decree 05.

In the document sent by Hung Nguyen district on March 27, 2023, it is written: The task of disease prevention and control is a common task of the entire unit. During the epidemic, Hung Nguyen District Medical Center simultaneously performed two dual tasks. Half of the staff, doctors, nurses, and employees of the center put aside their family matters to take on the task of caring for and treating Covid-19 patients, the other half, day and night, investigated the epidemic and took blood samples for testing. In particular, the population staff from the district medical center to the commune health station participated in disseminating epidemic prevention and control work, supporting home care and treatment for infected people, participating in software entry, supporting sample collection, epidemiological investigation, and directly participating in Covid-19 vaccination campaigns.

Regarding this content, recently when the Minister of Health came to work in Nghe An and visited some grassroots health units, population officials also made proposals and wishes. Most recently, at the National Assembly Session in June 2023, this issue was also proposed by many National Assembly deputies and they hoped that it would be adjusted and amended soon, in order to ensure the rights of medical staff and help them feel secure in their work and continue to contribute to the cause of taking care of people's health.

Population officers are currently working at commune health stations. In the photo: Population officers are working at Hung Dao Commune Health Station. Photo: MH

To ensure the rights and encourage the spirit of the staff and workers, the District Health Center respectfully requests the Department of Health to propose to the Ministry of Health to submit to the Government to allow this staff to enjoy preferential allowances like the staff of Preventive Medicine and Primary Health Care.

In early April 2023, in response to many opinions from the grassroots, Nghe An Department of Health also sent a document to the Ministry of Health and the Department of Organization and Personnel regarding the implementation of Decree No. 05. It included a request for the Ministry of Health to consider allowing population officers, health education and communication officers, officers in the indirect departments working at the Center for Disease Control, and grassroots medical units to enjoy preferential allowances according to the Decree to ensure fairness among the forces. According to Nghe An Department of Health, this is also the force on the front line, regularly and directly fighting in difficult times, working together with the team of medical professionals day and night, regardless of holidays, not afraid of danger in an environment with a high risk of infection to successfully carry out the task of fighting the epidemic./.