According to data from the provincial Department of Health, from 2022 to 2024, the province’s health sector saw 11 doctors and pharmacists with postgraduate qualifications resign - 5 at the provincial level and 6 at the district level. The departure of these professionals represents a significant loss, especially since most healthcare facilities at both provincial and district levels are still facing staff shortages. Many of those who left had been sent for training to address weaknesses or shortages in specific specialties, only to resign after completing their training. As of April 30, the total workforce in the provincial health sector stood at 3,087 people, which basically meets the demands of healthcare work. However, there remains a shortage of 277 staff members compared to the assigned staffing quota, especially in specialized areas such as anesthesia, intensive care, internal medicine, pediatrics, infectious diseases, and medical technology.

The Điện Biên General Hospital is facing the same situation. Although staff numbers have been supplemented, the hospital still lacks sufficient personnel, particularly doctors, nurses, and technicians with expertise in specialized fields. One major concern for the hospital is the implementation of financial autonomy, which limits their ability to pay salaries and bonuses beyond state regulations - leading to a large income gap compared to private medical facilities. Meanwhile, these private institutions continuously seek to recruit skilled professionals, making it even harder to retain high-quality personnel.

To improve quality and retain staff, the Điện Biên General Hospital places strong emphasis on training and developing its human resources. In 2024, the hospital sent 9 staff members for level II specialization training, 3 for master’s degrees in medicine, and 7 for level I specialization; 17 staff members attended short-term training programs on specific techniques.

Dr. Trần Đức Nghĩa, Deputy Director of the Điện Biên General Hospital, shared: “The hospital continues to develop a human resources strategy with specific, feasible measures, such as assigning training targets to departments, surveying training needs across units to provide specialized training based on actual demand. At the same time, we seek support from organizations, individuals, and higher-level hospitals in terms of equipment, technical transfer, and professional training. We aim to establish appropriate incentive policies to attract quality human resources for the hospital’s development. Additionally, there are disciplinary measures for staff who violate recruitment and training commitments”.

Creating favorable conditions for medical staff to participate in training programs, professional workshops, and knowledge updates; and offering opportunities for career advancement- are identified as key tasks of strategic importance. Phạm Giang Nam, Director of the provincial Department of Health, said: “The health sector is increasing the number of staff sent for postgraduate and specialized training, leveraging Ministry of Health programs and projects to enable local and ethnic minority staff to attend level I specialization training in various disciplines. These professionals are highly qualified and ensure long-term commitment to the local healthcare system.”

Between 2024 and 2025, the provincial health sector plans to send 104 staff for postgraduate training, including: 28 for level II specialization, 9 for master’s degrees, and 67 for level I specialization. As of March 10, the sector had 417 staff with postgraduate qualifications. Upon completing training, staff are assigned to appropriate roles and are able to implement technical services for diagnosis, treatment, and emergency care locally. This helps improve the quality of healthcare services, reduce the number of patients referred to higher-level hospitals, and ultimately lessens the pressure and the inclination to resign among healthcare workers.

In addition to sectoral efforts, the province has also introduced Resolution No.21/2023/NQ-HDND (dated December 8, 2023) from the provincial People’s Council, stipulating policies to attract human resources and support graduates with postgraduate degrees. Specifically, the incentives include: VND 150 million per person for university graduates with honors; VND 250 million per person for those with master’s degrees, level I specialization, or residency doctors; and VND 450 million per person for PhDs or level II specialists. However, to date, the province has not yet successfully attracted any healthcare talent under this policy. Regarding postgraduate support under the resolution, from January 1, 2024 until now, 34 individuals (Level I specialists, master’s holders, level II specialists, and PhDs) have received support, with a total disbursement of VND 1.28 billion.

Many solutions have been implemented, but frankly speaking, the main reason for the difficulty in attracting and retaining healthcare workers is the low income from salaries, which does not reflect the extensive education and effort required in the profession. In the long term, the Department of health recommends that there be proper policies on salaries and incentives for medical personnel to keep them working in public healthcare facilities.