HCMC expected to be developed into regional health center

Attending at the event were Secretary of the Party Committee of HCMC Nguyen Van Nen, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front of HCMC To Thi Bich Chau, Head of the City Party Committee’s Organization Board Nguyen Phuoc Loc, head of the Propaganda and Education Board of the City Party Committee Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, head of the Internal Affairs Committee of HCMC Party Committee Le Thanh Liem, head of the HCMC Party Committee's Commission for Mass Mobilization Nguyen Huu Hiep, and Vice Chairman of the People’s Council of the city Nguyen Van Dung.

Director of the HCMC Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong reviewed the history and development of the city’s health sector and honored its important achievements in caring for people’s health over the past 45 years.

He expressed pride for generations of doctors and teachers at medical schools who made outstanding contributions in protecting people's physical and mental health and training medical human resources.

Doctors of HCMC have the ability to perceive and develop advanced medical techniques and build the city’s health sector into a specialized medical center of the country and the region, the director of the health department affirmed.

Speaking at the event, Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thanh Hiep, head of the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine expressed concern over shortage of medical human resources. While Assoc. Prof. Tran Diep Tuan, Council President of the HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy stressed the role of primary health care, especially in developing countries including Vietnam, and policies in sending young doctors to grassroots healthcare centers.

The HCMC’s health sector has implemented an experimental program on assigning newly-graduated doctors to work at local medical units of districts. Under the program, new graduates of medical universities will practice for 12 months at the medical stations under professional guidance and practice guidance at level-one general hospitals in the city, and then they will return to practice in hospitals for six months. The newly graduated medical staff will receive a support policy of living expenses when they participate in this program.

By the end of 2021, HCMC has eight facilities training medical human resources at university level, eight colleges and 20 vocational schools providing practical training courses at 51 hospitals.