This proposal was included in a draft decision by the ministry, outlining special allowances for civil servants, public employees, and workers in public healthcare facilities, along with epidemic prevention allowances.
The draft is currently open for public feedback and is expected to be submitted to the government next month.
The current allowance rates are based on a government decision from 2011, which the ministry now deems outdated given the economic and living conditions.
Although the base salary has been adjusted eight times over the past 12 years, currently standing at VND2.34 million per month, allowances for healthcare workers have not been adjusted accordingly.
The ministry therefore suggests tripling the surgery allowances for doctors.
The allowance for primary surgeons in special-class surgeries would rise from VND280,000 to VND510,000, while the allowances for first-, second-, and third-class surgeries would increase to VND300,000, VND120,000, and VND95,000. These rates are based on the complexity of the surgeries.
For anesthetists or lead acupuncturists in special-class surgeries, the current allowance of VND280,000 would increase to VND565,000. In first-, second-, and third-class surgeries, allowances for this group would rise to VND130,000, VND80,000, and VND35,000.
The ministry has also proposed increasing the 24-hour on-call duty allowance. For major hospitals at the national and regional levels, the allowance would rise from VND115,000 to VND325,000 per person per shift. For provincial-level hospitals, it would increase from VND90,000 to VND255,000, and from VND65,000 to VND185,000 for other facilities.
Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc said the current allowance rates, implemented more than a decade ago, “are no longer suitable.”
Many healthcare workers, he noted, have little to no time off, working under intense pressure for prolonged periods, which jeopardizes their physical and mental health. Yet, their salaries and allowances only partially meet their living needs and do not adequately reflect the demanding nature of their work or the extensive training they have undergone.
The Ministry of Health reported that nearly 10,000 healthcare workers nationwide quit the public sector between early 2021 and mid-2022 when the Covid-19 pandemic left them exhausted, with the largest numbers of departures occurring in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, An Giang, and Da Nang.
The primary reasons for their departure were financial pressure, low income, and the desire for a better working environment.
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