The Government will review the salary, allowance and treatment regime for cadres, civil servants, public employees and medical staff.
The Government and the Prime Minister will consider appropriate and satisfactory salary, allowance and treatment regimes for cadres, civil servants, health officials (including population - family planning officials), and medical staff in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly.
National Assembly delegates question about preferential allowances for population officials
At the 5th session of the 15th National Assembly, National Assembly delegate Nguyen Minh Tam of the National Assembly delegation of Quang Binh province questioned Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai:
"Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP dated February 15, 2023 of the Government amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP dated July 4, 2011 of the Government, accordingly, supplementing the preferential allowance level according to the profession for preventive medicine and grassroots health officials to apply (during the 2 years of 2022, 2023).
The provision of the above preferential subsidy level demonstrates the Government's attention and recognition of the health sector in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the regulation does not cover the scope and subjects for some employees working in testing, population officers... in the context of performing the same work of epidemic prevention and control and the time frame for receiving benefits does not coincide with the time participating in the epidemic prevention and control, which has affected the mentality of a significant number of medical staff.
And voters believe that the regulation of beneficiaries as in the Decree is not fair. We request the Deputy Prime Minister to clearly explain the reasons for choosing the subjects regulated by the Decree."
Regarding the above question, the Deputy Prime Minister answered as follows:
1. Civil servants and public employees in the health sector at present, as well as civil servants and public employees in other sectors, are receiving salaries according to the salary scale system promulgated in Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP dated December 14, 2004 of the Government on salary regime for cadres, civil servants, public employees and armed forces and guiding documents, amendments and supplements, including testing staff, population officials... as stated by the National Assembly delegates.
In addition, civil servants and health officials are entitled to the following allowances:
a) Preferential allowances according to profession
Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP dated July 4, 2011 of the Government stipulating preferential allowances according to profession for civil servants and public employees working at public health facilities stipulates: "Civil servants and public employees working at public health facilities regularly and directly performing specific jobs are entitled to preferential allowances according to profession including 6 levels of 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70% on the salary scale (professional title), current grade plus leadership position allowance, seniority allowance beyond the framework (if any)" and "Civil servants and public employees who regularly and directly work in the medical profession to perform the following tasks: health education and communication; population - family planning enjoy a preferential allowance according to their profession of 30%.".
b) Special allowance regime
Decision No. 73/2011/QD-TTg dated December 28, 2011 of the Prime Minister on the regulation of a number of special allowance regimes for civil servants, public employees, and workers in public health facilities and anti-epidemic allowance regimes including: 24/24 hour on-call allowance regime; anti-epidemic allowance regime; surgery and procedure allowance regime.
c) Allowance regime for civil servants and public employees working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions
Decree No. 76/2019/ND-CP dated October 8, 2019 of the Government on policies for civil servants and health officials working in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions stipulates: "Civil servants, health officials, and military medical officers working at medical facilities in areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions are entitled to preferential allowances of 70% of the current salary according to the current salary scale plus leadership position allowances and seniority allowances beyond the framework (if any)".
d) Hazardous and toxic allowance regime
Circular No. 07/2005/TT-BNV dated January 5, 2005 of the Ministry of Home Affairs stipulates: "Civil servants and public employees in the health sector are entitled to a hazardous and dangerous allowance regime at 4 levels including coefficients of 0.1; 0.2; 0.3; 0.4 compared to the general minimum wage". The hazardous allowance regime for civil servants and public employees is very necessary to compensate for the loss of those working in hazardous, dangerous, infectious environments... which are factors that salaries do not take into account.
d) Allowance regime for village and commune health workers
Decision No. 75/2009/QD-TTg dated May 11, 2009 stipulates: "During their working period, village and hamlet health workers are entitled to monthly allowances equal to 0.3 and 0.5 times the general minimum wage."
Decree No. 33/2023/ND-CP dated June 10, 2023 on commune-level cadres, civil servants and part-time workers at commune, village and residential group levels, effective from August 1, 2023, stipulates that people directly participating in activities in villages and residential groups, in addition to the three positions of Party cell secretary, village or residential group head, and head of the Fatherland Front working committee, are entitled to monthly support. The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Health to propose solutions to implement policies for village and hamlet health workers and village and hamlet midwives to ensure compliance with Decree No. 33/2023/ND-CP.
2. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to promptly motivate all subjects participating in epidemic prevention and control, including health education and communication officials, population - family planning officials, and testing staff, the Government has stipulated the anti-epidemic allowance regime in a number of documents as follows:
- Resolution No. 37/NQ-CP dated March 29, 2020 on a number of special regimes in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic (implemented from March 29, 2020 to February 8, 2021) stipulates the anti-epidemic allowance regime for medical staff and workers participating in the prevention and control of the epidemic:
+ VND 300,000/person/day for people who monitor, investigate, verify epidemics, and people who directly examine, diagnose, and treat people with epidemics at medical examination and treatment facilities;
+ VND 200,000/person/day for people transporting patients and medical specimens; preserving patient corpses; washing medical and patient clothes and linen; collecting bottles, jars, and chemical boxes; protecting the isolation treatment area; cleaning, disinfecting, and destroying pathogens in the isolation area at medical examination and treatment facilities; medical staff conducting epidemiological surveillance and medical monitoring at home isolation facilities and medical isolation facilities as designated by state management agencies;
+ Level 150,000 VND/person/day for people performing tasks (not medical professionals) at centralized quarantine facilities; people participating in forced medical quarantine; interpreters, 115 emergency team, and teams transporting quarantined people.
Resolution No. 16/NQ-CP dated February 8, 2021 on medical isolation costs, medical examination and treatment, and some special regimes in COVID-19 prevention and control, effective from February 8, 2021, stipulates anti-epidemic allowances at 3 levels: VND 300,000/person/day, VND 200,000/person/day, VND 150,000/person/day corresponding to subjects participating in epidemic prevention and control work at different levels of work.
Resolution No. 58/NQ-CP dated June 8, 2021 stipulates the anti-epidemic regime for volunteers, students and pupils at 120,000 VND/person/day; the allowance for free COVID-19 vaccination is 7,500 VND/injection/vaccination team.
Resolution No. 145/NQ-CP dated November 19, 2021 on adjusting, amending and supplementing a number of regimes and policies in COVID-19 prevention and control adjusting the regime for people participating in COVID-19 prevention and control in units and localities with high numbers of COVID-19 infections at the levels of VND 450,000/person/day, VND 300,000/person/day, VND 225,000/person/day, VND 150,000/person/day according to the actual number of days participating in the fight against the epidemic according to the decision of the competent authority.
Thus, population - family planning officers and testing staff who fall under the categories in points 1 and 2 above are entitled to allowances according to regulations.
The process of building Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP
After 2 years of preventing and fighting the COVID-19 epidemic, the epidemic situation is basically under control nationwide.
To contribute to retaining and ensuring regular medical human resources, directly performing preventive medical work to meet the needs of disease prevention, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 25-KL/TW dated December 30, 2021 on COVID-19 prevention and control in the 2022-2023 period, in which it agreed to adjust the preferential allowance regime for preventive medical staff and grassroots medical staff from 40-70% to 100%.
This is the basis for the Government to issue Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP, which stipulates preferential allowances according to profession for preventive medicine and grassroots health officials, applicable from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
Beneficiaries are regular civil servants who directly work in preventive medicine (including border medical quarantine); work in medical profession at commune, ward, town health stations, regional polyclinics, maternity homes, district, county, town, city health centers under provinces, cities under centrally run cities and hospitals at district, county, town, city level under provinces, cities under centrally run cities who have been and are enjoying preferential allowances according to their profession at the rate of 40% - 70% as prescribed in Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP and Joint Circular No. 02/2012/TTLT-BYT-BNV-BTC dated January 19, 2012 of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance guiding the implementation of Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP.
Population and family planning officials are currently enjoying a 30% preferential allowance according to their profession, so they are not subject to the provisions of Conclusion No. 25-KL/TW dated December 30, 2021 of the Politburo. Therefore, there is no basis to include them in the subjects of Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP.
Ensuring fair treatment and salary reform for health workers
Primary health care and preventive medicine play a particularly important role in the health system, but are the most difficult units in the health sector. Therefore, in the coming time, appropriate policies are needed to attract and maintain qualified medical staff and employees to regularly and continuously work in this field.
Resolution No. 99/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on thematic supervision of the mobilization, management and use of resources for COVID-19 prevention and control, the implementation of policies and laws on grassroots health care and preventive medicine stipulates the tasks and solutions: "Research to ensure adequate salaries, allowances and remuneration for health workers in general, grassroots health care and preventive medicine in particular, commensurate with the requirements of tasks and specific work in the spirit of Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW dated May 21, 2018 of the Central Executive Committee on reforming salary policies for cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and employees in enterprises. Encourage localities to have policies to attract health workers to work in grassroots health care and in the field of preventive medicine".
The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Health to preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries, branches, agencies and localities to urgently develop a plan to implement the tasks assigned by the National Assembly in the above Resolution (Document No. 5491/VPCP-KGVX dated July 20, 2023 of the Government Office).