Reorganizing the apparatus and streamlining the staff in Nghe An: Making sure everything is done properly

Sharp reduction of public service units

Regarding this issue, the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee issued Plan No. 111-KH/TU, dated January 2, 2018 and Project No. 09-DA/TU, dated April 18, 2018. On that basis, Party committees at all levels have led and directed agencies, localities and units to develop a project to reorganize the apparatus and submit it to superiors for appraisal as a basis for implementation. According to the assessment of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Committee, in general, up to now, agencies, localities and units have done quite well in reorganizing the apparatus and streamlining the payroll in accordance with the general direction of the Central and Provincial Party Committees.

Nghe An Tax Department merged, reducing from 21 to 10 branches. Photo: Quang An

Currently, the whole province has reduced 77 public service units. Of which, 29 units under departments, branches and sectors have been reduced, including: 10 units reduced due to the merger of grade 3 general hospitals and district health centers; 13 units reduced due to the merger of vocational training centers, continuing education centers, and vocational technical centers; 5 units reduced due to the establishment of the Center for Disease Control based on the merger of 6 centers (Preventive Medicine; Reproductive Health Care; HIV/AIDS Prevention; Malaria - Parasite - Insect Prevention; Health Education Communication; Family Planning and Population Counseling and Services Center); dissolving Nghe An Vocational College of Technology and Communications.

In addition, the whole province also reduced 48 public service units under the district-level People's Committee, including 22 units due to merging the cultural - sports center and the TV station into the cultural - sports and media center (Quy Hop district alone merged 3 units); 26 units were reduced due to merging school units, including: Nam Dan district reduced 5 schools; Tuong Duong and Quynh Luu reduced 4 schools; Con Cuong reduced 3 schools; Dien Chau, Tan Ky, Do Luong all reduced 2 schools; Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, Ky Son, Yen Thanh, each district reduced 1 school.

Ky Son merged Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities into Nam Can Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities. Photo: Dao Tho

After the reorganization process, all units have ensured the implementation of their functions and tasks and initially improved their operational efficiency. For example, in Quy Hop district, the establishment of the Center for Culture, Sports and Communication was announced on the basis of merging the Center for Culture, Sports, Radio - Television and the District Children's House from October 2019.

"After the reorganization, not only were two leaders reduced, but the quality of operations was also improved. The center also performed well the political tasks set by the district, such as propaganda work and organizing activities to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Party's founding."

Comrade Nguyen Cong Kich - Head of the Organization Committee of Quy Hop District Party Committee

Leaders of Quy Hop district awarded the decision to appoint the positions of Director and Deputy Director of Quy Hop Center for Culture, Sports and Communication. Photo: Thu Huong

In the province, there are 23 units that have switched to the mechanism of self-guaranteeing regular expenditure according to the decision of the Provincial People's Committee (excluding project management boards), of which the Health sector has 17 units.

Up to this point, the whole province has reduced 343 civil servant positions (the Party and mass organizations reduced 89 people; the State sector reduced 254 people (not including 112 positions of the Market Management Department transferred to the Ministry of Industry and Trade), reduced 2,762 officials (the State sector reduced 2,754; the Party agency sector reduced 8 positions) and 4,424 civil servant positions transferred to self-insurance of regular expenses (the State sector has 4,396 positions; the Party sector has Nghe An Newspaper with 28 positions).

Streamlining the focal points of each agency and organization

In addition to reducing public service units, Nghe An also pays attention to streamlining the internal focal points of each agency and organization. For example, at Pu Mat National Park - a service unit under the Provincial People's Committee, one department has been reduced by merging the Organization - Administration Department with the Planning - Finance Department to form the Administration - General Department. "These two departments are both staff departments in terms of function and tasks, so after the merger, their operations are still normal, without any difficulties in performing their tasks," said Mr. Tran Xuan Cuong - Director of Pu Mat National Park, and at the same time, he said that he is proposing to convert the Environmental Education Department into the Center for Environmental Education and Forest Environmental Services.

In addition, the Forest Ranger Division under the park also reduced from 13 internal organizations to 12 by merging the Mobile Forest Ranger Team and the Forest Ranger Division Office into the Mobile Forest Ranger Team; at the same time, the position of deputy station chief was not reappointed for stations with 5 or fewer rangers.

Patrolling to protect Pu Mat National Park. Photo: VT

Overall, the province has reduced 3 branches and 35 affiliated offices, including: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reduced 3 branches and 2 offices; Office of the Provincial People's Council reduced 5 offices; Department of Education and Training reduced 2 offices. Departments: Health, Industry and Trade, Home Affairs reduced 1 office each. Block of provincial Party and mass organizations: Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department reduced 3 offices; Organization Department, Provincial Party Committee Office, Political School and Nghe An Newspaper each reduced 2 offices; Inspection Committee, Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Department, Provincial Youth Union, Veterans Association, Provincial Labor Federation each reduced 1 office. Block of public service units under the Provincial People's Committee, in addition to Pu Mat National Park, also has College of Culture and Arts reduced 3 offices.

Up to now, 100% of district, city and town Party Committees have implemented the policy of the Head of the Propaganda Department concurrently being the Director of the Political Training Center. In particular, during the implementation process, Nghe An has boldly implemented new pilot contents, specifically 8/21 units have piloted the Head of the Mass Mobilization Department concurrently being the Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee at the district level (Tuong Duong, Con Cuong, Do Luong, Tan Ky, Hung Nguyen, Quy Hop, Yen Thanh, Anh Son); 2/21 district-level units have piloted the Head of the Party Committee's Organization Department concurrently being the Head of the Internal Affairs Department; the Head of the Party Committee's Inspection Committee concurrently being the Chief Inspector (Vinh City, Dien Chau).

Staff of the One-Stop Transaction Center of Quynh Hung Commune (Quynh Luu) guide people through administrative procedures. Photo: Thanh Duy

At the provincial level, the organization of Party building committees has been reorganized and the model of an office serving the Party Committee and the advisory and support agencies of the Provincial Party Committee has been implemented; the operation mechanism of the Health Care and Protection Committee has been reorganized. Regarding the organization of the political system at the commune level, the units have basically completed the arrangement and placement of the office serving the Party Committee and the commune-level government in association with the commune-level one-stop center; the operation of the Party cells of the ward, commune and town agencies has been ended; the staffing of cadres and civil servants has been streamlined; regular cadres and police officers have been deployed to take on the positions of commune police chiefs and deputy commune police chiefs; etc.

Recently, working with the Standing Committee of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Comrade Pham Minh Chinh - Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Organization Committee assessed that Nghe An has done well in restructuring the apparatus and suggested that the province continue to implement in the spirit of "doing to the point, making sure to that point", "learning from experience while doing, gradually expanding", especially paying attention to streamlining the apparatus at the district level.