While some doctors at public hospitals have been forced to seek otherjobs due to low salaries, others have found a way to earn hundreds ofmillions of dong per month in a situation that has some health expertsworried.
Nguyen Ngoc Hung, head of the Internal Medicineat Hospital 09 which specialises in treating HIV/AIDS patients, saidthat he has worked at the hospital for 15 years in spite of the hardwork and a meagre income.
Director of the hospital TranQuoc Tuan said: "More than 80 percent of the staff rent their homes.Although they receive supplementary income equalling 70 percent of theirsalary, it is still not enough to meet their living requirements."
Low salaries and pressure at work have made it difficult for thehospital to recruit new doctors over the last five years, said Ly TranTinh, director of the Hanoi Psychiatric Hospital , adding that somedoctors only worked for a few days each week, leaving the hospitalunderstaffed.
Doctors in his hospital only earn 3 million VND (142 USD) per month. Many have quit, he said.
Meanwhile, specialists in areas such as ob/gyn, paediatrics,dermatology and otorhinolaryngology (head and neck surgery) could earnup to 400 million VND (19,000 USD) per month at private clinics, said VuHoang Nguyen, director of Tri Duc Hospital in Hanoi.
TongQuang Hung of the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital said:"We have to distinguish between salary and income. In fact, doctor'ssalaries are currently very low. The salary that we receive from theState is not worth our effort so many doctors choose to do part-timework in private clinics."
"I also thought about moving to aprivate hospital where I could earn up to 50 million VND per month butinstead I decided to stay at my hospital while supplementing my incomeby working at private clinics outside," he said.
Manypatients prefered to go to private hospitals where they could receivefaster and better treatment than in public ones, said Nguyen Tien Luanof Hanoi 's Ba Dinh district.
Former Health Minister DrPham Song said that only a few doctors actually quit working at publichospitals to open their own clinics or work in the private healthsector. Most of them were probably young and made the choice to move tothe private sector because they were not able to make careeradvancements at their workplace.
The reality raised thealert for policymakers, Song stressed, saying that the Government shouldchange its salary policy for doctors, and hospital leaders should paymore attention to the working environment and doctors' expectations anddesires.
It was also necessary to develop policies thatwould require medical school students to commit to working for two tothree years in public hospitals after graduation, and potentially evenlonger if they pursued sponsored- training courses, he said. /.
Nguyen Ngoc Hung, head of the Internal Medicineat Hospital 09 which specialises in treating HIV/AIDS patients, saidthat he has worked at the hospital for 15 years in spite of the hardwork and a meagre income.
Director of the hospital TranQuoc Tuan said: "More than 80 percent of the staff rent their homes.Although they receive supplementary income equalling 70 percent of theirsalary, it is still not enough to meet their living requirements."
Low salaries and pressure at work have made it difficult for thehospital to recruit new doctors over the last five years, said Ly TranTinh, director of the Hanoi Psychiatric Hospital , adding that somedoctors only worked for a few days each week, leaving the hospitalunderstaffed.
Doctors in his hospital only earn 3 million VND (142 USD) per month. Many have quit, he said.
Meanwhile, specialists in areas such as ob/gyn, paediatrics,dermatology and otorhinolaryngology (head and neck surgery) could earnup to 400 million VND (19,000 USD) per month at private clinics, said VuHoang Nguyen, director of Tri Duc Hospital in Hanoi.
TongQuang Hung of the Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital said:"We have to distinguish between salary and income. In fact, doctor'ssalaries are currently very low. The salary that we receive from theState is not worth our effort so many doctors choose to do part-timework in private clinics."
"I also thought about moving to aprivate hospital where I could earn up to 50 million VND per month butinstead I decided to stay at my hospital while supplementing my incomeby working at private clinics outside," he said.
Manypatients prefered to go to private hospitals where they could receivefaster and better treatment than in public ones, said Nguyen Tien Luanof Hanoi 's Ba Dinh district.
Former Health Minister DrPham Song said that only a few doctors actually quit working at publichospitals to open their own clinics or work in the private healthsector. Most of them were probably young and made the choice to move tothe private sector because they were not able to make careeradvancements at their workplace.
The reality raised thealert for policymakers, Song stressed, saying that the Government shouldchange its salary policy for doctors, and hospital leaders should paymore attention to the working environment and doctors' expectations anddesires.
It was also necessary to develop policies thatwould require medical school students to commit to working for two tothree years in public hospitals after graduation, and potentially evenlonger if they pursued sponsored- training courses, he said. /.
