No candidates met the requirements in the final result. According to the recruitment notice, applicants must hold at least a general medical degree, possess a practicing certificate, achieve level 4 English proficiency under Vietnam’s framework, and have certificates in basic information technology, pedagogical training and vaccination safety.

In addition, preference criteria are set quite high, including having research experience, publishing at least two scientific papers, graduating from major medical universities, and being under 35 years old.

Beyond entry requirements, the workload for this position has also surprised many. A Grade III doctor is required to handle up to 16 tasks, including medical examination and treatment, data statistics and processing, administrative procedures, participation in health insurance activities, receiving inspection teams, and contributing to hospital quality assessment and improvement.

According to the hospital on February 27, there were two applicants for one position, but neither met the requirements.

This result has sparked debate. Some opinions suggest that the recruitment criteria are “as difficult as selecting leadership positions,” leaving young doctors with little chance.

In addition, salary and benefits at public hospitals are considered not commensurate with job requirements, which is seen as a key reason for failing to attract candidates.

Recruitment fails due to unattractive benefits

Associate Prof Vu Quoc Dat, lecturer at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Hanoi Medical University, said the controversy in recent days is not about the standards but the job description.

For infectious disease doctors, the tasks listed by the hospital are entirely consistent with reality. This is a specialized field that involves not only examination and treatment but also prevention, scientific research, training and other professional activities.

“The work of infectious disease doctors at top-tier hospitals is demanding and requires comprehensive capacity. Therefore, such a job description reflects reality,” he said.

He also noted that the recruitment content aligns with regulations under Circular 41/2025/TT-BYT on professional standards for doctors.

With such requirements, doctors must have real capability, so the hospital prioritizing graduates from prestigious universities is understandable.

However, he pointed out a major issue: the remuneration regime for doctors, especially in infectious diseases, remains inadequate.

“Although identified as a priority field, allowances for infectious disease doctors are still not on par with other specialties such as emergency resuscitation, forensic medicine or pathology. The job is both demanding and high-risk, so it is understandable that recruitment is unsuccessful,” he added.

A representative of the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC told VietNamNet that the lack of candidates was not due to overly high standards but the nature of the position in the General Planning Department, which requires strong expertise to guide departments, as well as the ability to develop hospital-wide plans and conduct scientific research. This requirement is common across most hospitals, so the role is often filled by transferring clinical doctors.

As a solution, the hospital plans to reassign doctors from clinical departments to this position while recruiting new doctors to fill clinical roles. The representative also noted that most doctors prefer working in treatment departments rather than administrative units due to different work pressures.

The 16 tasks a Grade III physician at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in HCMC must perform are:

Collecting, processing and reporting data; epidemiological analysis;

Developing plans for hospital activities;

Building and training professional procedures;

Receiving, guiding and answering questions from patients and relatives;

Handling administrative procedures and public services;

Conducting scientific research, writing papers and evaluating research topics;

Coordinating training, teaching and referral system activities;

Participating in health insurance work; implementing directives; receiving inspection teams; analyzing and explaining insurance claim rejections;

Participating in professional duties, on-call shifts, analyzing and summarizing medical records;

Receiving inspection delegations;

Participating in professional ranking, evaluation and hospital quality improvement: and

Performing other tasks assigned by department leaders

Vo Thu