Former head of Việt Nam-Germany Friendship Hospital’s Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Professor Đặng Hanh Đệ. Photo soha.vn

In a recent interview with Tổ quốc (Fatherland) online newspaper, former head of Việt Nam-Germany Friendship Hospital’s Cardiovascular Surgery Department, Professor Đặng Hanh Đệ talks about criminal wrongdoings in the health sector and leadership at hospitals.

Many people were shocked when they heard that leaders of some hospitals had been prosecuted and arrested. They are very capable physicians and had worked in health sector for many years. How did the news make you feel?

The health sector is experiencing several losses when many experienced professional directors and deputy directors of hospitals, both centrally run and locally run, were prosecuted and arrested. It did make me feel upset.

It is necessary to see this issue from two angles. First, there are factors that enable people to corrupt. And second, it is their own fault for not restraining themselves from committing wrongdoings.

It must be made clear that it’s their fault for not controlling themselves from temptations and loopholes of the mechanism.

No one wants to see their students and colleagues involved in wrongdoings. Although I feel sorry for those arrested, they only have themselves to blame.

I also felt sorry when capable physicians are placed in leadership positions.

Why does this concern you?

I think there should be a separation between management and medical activities.

Doctors should focus on their expertise which is to treat patients. The management task should be assigned to a person with good management skills.

Physicians who are tasked with running hospitals have no time for their treatment activities. And their expertise will decline. Internationally, hospitals are often run by both medical and non-medical leaders. The leader of a hospital does not need to have any medical capacity but must have strong leadership skills.

In Việt Nam, medical students are not trained with management skills. However, when they graduate and go to work, those who have strong medical capacity will be appointed to managerial positions. This is so wrong and we lose a talent because of this.

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Doctors of Cần Thơ Central General Hospital perform surgery. It is said capable physicians should focus on their medical activities and should not be placed in leadership roles. VNA/VNS Photo

​Could you elaborate on this?

It is important for one to know their own strengths. If a capable doctor is appointed to a director position, which they find unsuitable, they shouldn’t take the offer.

I remember a few years ago, professor Trịnh Hồng Sơn, who was then deputy director of Việt Nam Germany Friendship Hospital, was appointed to be Director of Việt Nam-Soviet Friendship Hospital. I advised him not to take the offer because if he did, he would not have time for medical activities.

Sơn was very passionate about surgery. He could perform surgeries throughout the night and continued to work the next morning.

If he took over the leadership position for a five-year term, it would be difficult for him to return to his role as a doctor. Things develop very rapidly in health sector. The younger generation will replace the older ones.

A long time ago, revered doctor Tôn Thất Tùng was also appointed to be deputy minister of health but he refused because he wanted to focus on his expertise at Việt Nam-Germany Friendship Hospital. If he had taken over the role of deputy minister, we might not have had such a world-renowned physician.

It is still a common belief that a leader must have strong capacity of that field in order to earn respect from their subordinates. What are your thoughts about this?

I think we need to change this mindset to improve the health sector.

Việt Nam is encouraging state-run establishment to be financially autonomous. There is no government subsidy and they have to be responsible for their loss or profit.

To run a hospital well, the leader must take at least a few years to learn about hospital management and health economics.

It is common among local hospitals that physicians are placed in leadership positions. But the thing is physicians do not often make effective leaders.

What are the reasons for wrongdoings in health sector recently?

If there is no self-interest, there will hardly have any wrongdoings. In health sector, if a person lets self-interest come before common good, it is easy for them to commit wrongdoings. — VNS