Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong (third, right) presents flowers to congratulate six young doctors who have volunteered to work at grassroots-level health stations (Photo: VNA)
 

Ho Chi Minh City is stepping up efforts to strengthen its grassroots healthcare network by improving capacity and increasing the number of qualified medical personnel.

The city's Department of Health on September 10 reviewed a pilot programme combining hospital-based practice with work at grassroots health stations and organised the fourth healthcare job fair, attracting nearly 1,000 candidates and 94 recruiters offering 806 positions.

Nguyen Phuoc Loc, Deputy Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, praised the five-year pilot programme, which combines practical training for young doctors with work at grassroots health stations.

The model has helped improve the professional skills of medical practitioners while strengthening the healthcare network closest to local residents, he said, adding that it could provide a basis for wider application.

The city is developing a multi-tiered healthcare system linking 22 top-level hospitals with regional hospitals and ward and commune health stations, with a focus on improving professional capacity at lower-level facilities.

Under the latest rotational practice programme, young doctors alternate between higher-level hospitals and grassroots health stations to strengthen both clinical and community healthcare skills.

Twenty-one young doctors have been assigned to health stations, including two who volunteered to work at the Con Dao Military-Civilian Medical Centre, while 41 others have been deployed to outlying areas such as Can Gio, Thanh An, Cu Chi and Hoc Mon.

On this occasion, the fourth fair for the healthcare sector was held, offering 327 positions for doctors and 479 for nurses, midwives and medical technicians.

According to Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the municipal Department of Health, a strong healthcare system requires qualified doctors not only at top-level hospitals but also at regional facilities and grassroots health stations.

The city is working to build a more interconnected healthcare system, supported by rotational training programmes and professional knowledge transfer, to bring quality healthcare services closer to residents.

VNA