Viet Nam's hospitals will employ only graduates for the posts of nurses, hospital orderlies, medical technicians and pharmacists from 2021.

Those with vocational school certificates will have to complete their higher education to meet the standard by 2025.

Pham Van Tac, director-general of the department of organisation and personnel under the health ministry, said at a conference in Hai Phong City yesterday that the move was aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services, as the above positions typically affected service quality.

It would also help to improve Viet Nam's competitiveness in the international and regional integration processes, he said.

Tac said medical training institutions should develop or change training programmes to meet the demand.

At present, there are 40 medical universities, 68 colleges and 71 vocational schools that are training healthcare staff in Viet Nam.

The official also said the health ministry was encouraging hospitals to practise financial autonomy and pay their staff with their own funds, instead of using state subsidy.

Nine out of 37 hospitals across the country are practising financial autonomy.

The ministry said by 2020, financial autonomy would be implemented in up to 20 hospitals.

Tac also said hospitals and agencies under the management of the health ministry should restructure their organisations to reduce staff by 10 per cent by 2021.

The move follows a government's decree on restructuring public and civil workforce, under which ministries, agencies and localities have been asked to reduce their staff by at least 10 per cent between 2015 and 2021. 

VNS