A medical station in Ward 22 in HCM City’s Bình Thạnh District. The city is focusing on providing more funding to grassroots medical stations to attract and keep personnel. – Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY – HCM City has decided to earmark around VNĐ138.5 billion (US$6.06 million) a year until 2025 to pay stipends to trainee doctors, nurses and others working at grassroots medical stations as an incentive to attract personnel. 

Around 300 newly graduated doctors will each get paid VNĐ60 million over 18 months. 100 new nurses and midwives will get VNĐ30 million over nine months.

The programme began in February to help new medical personnel get hands-on experience.

It will also hire retired medical staff on 12-months contracts on salaries of up to VNĐ9 million a month.

Besides, all 310 ward- and commune-level medical stations will be provided with funds to hire janitors and security guards to help improve their service.

The fourth COVID-19 wave has taken a huge toll on medical staff, especially before people were vaccinated and a cure was not readily available, according to the city Department of Health.

Due to the limited number of personnel at medical stations, they are often overworked and have to fulfil a number of responsibilities simultaneously.

Many doctors and nurses at public hospitals and medical stations quit due to the huge stress and workload and a lack of commensurate wages.

The first three months of this year saw 400 of them quit.

Attracting and keeping personnel at medical stations is imperative, the department added. VNS