Khanh Hoa (VNA)ꦕ – Khanh Hoa Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital is struggling to employ specialist doctors despite priority support from the local health care sector.

Ho Ta Phuong, director of the hospital, said it had only 7 members of staff, including the management board, while they were managing 100 beds. Due to a lack of doctors who specialise in conducting X-ray screening, testing and surgery, the existing hospital staff had to hold several positions. Thus, it was causing difficulties for both doctors and patients. Phuong said although the hospital had a supporting policy for doctors who agreed to work at the hospital, it couldn’t recruit enough staff. Under the policy, they would receive an initial finance allowance of between 5 and 10 million VND depending on their degree. Only two doctors specialised in preventive health care were recruited over the past 16 years, he said, adding that three doctors had left the hospital for new jobs and retirement since 2000. The hospital is in need of 8 general doctors to undertake examination, treatment and perform other special techniques, he told Health and Life newspaper. To meet the demand on doctors, the hospital has submitted a recruitment plan to the provincial health department and at the same time sent nurses to study higher education at universities, Phuong said. “In my calculation, if the hospital can recruit one doctor and send one or two nurses to higher education, by 2026 it will fulfill its doctor’s recruitment plans. However, it is impossible in reality,” he said. Bui Xuan Minh, Director of Khanh Hoa Province’s Health Department said although the department had policies to attract doctors like accommodation support, the number of doctors recruited was still short compared with the demand in hospitals in the province, including Khanh Hoa Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital. Besides sending nurses to higher education, the department also dispatched a number of doctors from other health facilities to work at the hospital to ease the pressure on its staff, he said. The department will continue to carry out these solutions in the coming years and create a support policy to attract more doctors for the province.-VNA