Sending talented young doctors to the grassroots medical facilities creates opportunities for people in remote, border, island, and difficult areas to access quality medical services and increase equal rights in medical examination and treatment. It is also a long-term strategy to support grassroots healthcare.

Resolution No. 20-NQ/TU dated October 25, 2017, at the 6th session of the 12th Central Party Committee on strengthening the protection, care and improvement of health for people in the new situation affirms that the medical industry is a special one. Medical human resources must meet professional and ethical requirements; need to be selected, trained, used and given special treatment... The resolution provides guidance on reforming institutions, organizational apparatus, management methods, and human resources in the health sector.

In fact, for many years, a group of students after graduating from medical university have not been well employed and most of them have settled in urban areas. Meanwhile, in rural and mountainous areas, especially in remote and difficult areas, there is a serious shortage of doctors.

In order to stabilize human resources to serve the care, protection and improvement of people's health, and to ensure that all people are equal in enjoying convenient and quality medical services, the health sector from the central to local levels have had many solutions to deal with the shortage of doctors at lower-level medical facilities. The health sector has implemented many programs, such as combining military and civil medicine, Project 1816, satellite hospitals...

In January 2013, the Prime Minister issued Decision 92 directing the continued rotation of professional staff from agencies of higher levels to support and transfer technology to those of lower levels to improve the quality of hospitals at lower levels. In February 2013, the Minister of Health signed a decision to promulgate a pilot project to send young volunteer doctors to work in mountainous, remote, border, island, and economically disadvantaged areas (priority is given to 62 poor districts) (referred to as project 585).

Project 585 is considered a breakthrough of the health sector in ensuring a sufficient number of human resources with high professional and technical qualifications to meet the health care needs of people in disadvantaged areas. The project has entered phase 2 with many innovations in terms of participants and volunteer work time.

The common point of the two phases is that the talented young doctors who have been recruited by public medical facilities, and participate in the project will be properly trained according to a special program for 24 consecutive months.

"Long-term" strategy to strengthen grassroots healthcare across the country

From the first 7 doctors of project 585 who were sent to poor districts after graduating in June 2017, up to now, more than 700 young doctors have and will come to work at poor districts, remote areas, border areas, and islands, according to Dr. Pham Van Tac, Vice Chairman of the National Medical Council, Director of Project 585.

According to officials of the Ministry of Health, sending young doctors to poor, remote, border, island, and difficult areas creates opportunities for a large number of people to access quality medical services, increasing equality in medical examination and treatment, limiting unnecessary referrals for treatment, contributing to reducing overload at higher level hospitals, avoiding waste for people, communities and society. This is also a "long-term" strategy to support grassroots healthcare across the country.

Training and sending young doctors with specialized degrees to work in poor, remote districts has brought many practical results. People in many communes and districts in remote and isolated areas have access to high-quality healthcare right at the grassroot level.

For example, during three years working in Lao Cai province, doctor Nguyen Chien Quyet operated on nearly 1,300 patients, meaning that on average, the doctor operated on 1 to 2 cases a day, including weekends. One-third of these surgeries were performed using laparoscopy, which is a modern technique that is currently not available in some lowland districts.

Doctor Sung Seo Toa, a Mong ethnic, works at the Muong Khuong District Medical Center in Lao Cai province, after studying as a specialist in obstetrics returned home to work and has performed many modern techniques. He also encouraged local people to abandon practices that are not good for their health, such as not daring to give blood to anyone because they believe that if the blood taker dies, they will also die.

The healthcare system of Vietnam's health sector is highly appreciated by the World Health Organization and Resolution 20 of the 12th Central Party Committee also affirmed that grassroots health care is the foundation because this is the place closest to the people, working side by side with the people every day. If the grassroot medical facility is good, many people will be saved and will not have to be transferred to hospitals of higher levels, helping to reduce the load on the higher-level medical facilities. People will save time and money, and will focus their energy on productive labor to bring wealth to themselves and their families. Thus, young volunteer doctors not only make a very important contribution to strengthening the grassroots medical and health care network, but also help people have more confidence in the health sector and the policies of the Party and State.

It is forecasted that the demand for doctors and nurses in Vietnam will continue to increase. In the period 2021-2030, the country needs to add about 72,000 doctors and 304,000 nurses. Particularly, the North Central Coast region needs about 14,000 doctors and 60,000 nurses while the Central Highlands needs about 5,400 doctors and 20,700 nurses.

Minh An