Dong Nai prioritizes healthcare workforce development

The Dong Nai healthcare sector has identified human resource development as a central task to meet the healthcare needs of nearly 5 million residents across a large area.

In addition to the measures already in place, the healthcare sector requires more comprehensive solutions to achieve breakthroughs in workforce quality while attracting and retaining highly qualified medical personnel.

Healthcare quality starts with human resources

Dong Nai currently has more than 12,100 public healthcare workers, including over 2,600 doctors, more than 3,800 nurses, and thousands of pharmacists, technicians, midwives, and other specialized personnel.

A surgical team at Thong Nhat General Hospital performs laparoscopic surgery. Photo: Hanh Dung

Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Dong Nai Department of Health (DoH), stated that continuously updating and improving professional knowledge is a mandatory requirement for every healthcare worker. Therefore, human resource training remains a top priority for the sector. In 2025, the sector sent 294 staff members, primarily doctors, nurses, and technicians, for postgraduate training. In addition, 184 staff members enrolled in university programs to standardize their professional qualifications. Alongside formal education, more than 1,500 staff members participated in specialized training courses to update their knowledge and improve their professional skills.

In 2026, training for medical human resources has continued to be stepped up. During the first five months of the year, the DoH sent 226 staff members to sit postgraduate entrance examinations, 100 to university programs, and more than 460 to specialized training courses. The healthcare sector has also continued to organize scientific seminars on dengue fever treatment, develop a stroke treatment network, update guidelines for chronic disease treatment, and provide otolaryngology training to help medical personnel quickly adopt new medical advances.

At the grassroots level, the Dong Nai DoH has coordinated with the Ho Chi Minh City DoH to organize training courses on health station management, helping improve the management capacity of leaders of commune- and ward-level health stations under the new management model.

Specialist II Doctor Nguyen Tuong Quang, Director of Thong Nhat General Hospital, said that participation in scientific seminars featuring leading experts from various specialties enables the hospital's doctors and nurses to gain valuable knowledge and practical experience. In addition, the hospital regularly sends staff to higher-level hospitals, where they receive hands-on, one-on-one guidance from experts while benefiting from the transfer of advanced medical techniques.

As the medical facility with the largest workforce in Dong Nai, employing more than 1,700 staff members, Dong Nai General Hospital has identified workforce development as one of its core tasks, recognizing it as a decisive factor in the hospital's sustainable development in the coming period.

Specialist II Doctor Dinh Cao Minh, Deputy Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, said the hospital focuses on human resource planning in line with its specialized development orientation, particularly the establishment and development of high-tech specialty centers. Recruitment and training methods will also be renewed. Instead of primarily recruiting new graduates as in the past, the hospital now prioritizes attracting highly qualified and experienced professionals, including signing expert contracts with skilled doctors, technicians, and biomedical engineers to meet the requirements for developing modern medical techniques.

Addressing ongoing challenges

Despite recording many positive results, workforce development in the healthcare sector still faces numerous challenges. In the first five months of 2026, although newly recruited personnel across the sector totaled 452, they were primarily newly graduated doctors and nurses who had not yet met the requirements to develop specialized medical techniques. Meanwhile, many healthcare workers, including doctors and nurses, have continued to leave their jobs.

Pediatric patients receive care and treatment at Dong Nai Children's Hospital.

A concerning reality is that many highly qualified doctors, after completing their training, have moved to work in the private healthcare sector. Many public healthcare facilities still lack adequate infrastructure and equipment, as well as sufficiently competitive policies to attract and retain skilled doctors.

Human resource shortages are even more severe at the grassroots level. Statistics from the DoH show that 95 health stations across Dong Nai require nearly 1,300 additional personnel, including 346 doctors, 159 medical technicians, 111 nurses, 57 pharmacists, 55 midwives, and hundreds of personnel in accounting, administration, and other specialized positions.

In addition to personnel shortages, many health stations lack essential clinical diagnostic equipment, including ultrasound machines, electrocardiogram machines, and laboratory testing equipment. As a result, they are unable to perform the full list of assigned medical techniques within the healthcare referral network, affecting the quality of primary healthcare services for residents.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Lien, in charge of Trang Dai Ward Health Station, said, "We are looking forward to the city issuing a new resolution on support policies for healthcare human resources. This would create motivation and encourage medical staff to remain committed to the station over the long term, with a stable income to cover living expenses."

To enable healthcare workers to work with confidence and long-term commitment, Dong Nai General Hospital has proposed increasing income and benefits for healthcare workers while building a friendly and professional working environment where every doctor, nurse, and technician has opportunities to learn, share professional expertise, develop their careers, and demonstrate their capabilities.

Specialist II Doctor Dinh Cao Minh, Deputy Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, stated that to increase lawful revenue and improve employees' living standards, the hospital will continue implementing its fundamental strategy of developing high-tech services, improving the quality of healthcare services, and strengthening competitiveness. These efforts will, in turn, attract more patients to the hospital for medical examination and treatment.

According to Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Dong Nai DoH, building a modern healthcare system requires synchronized human resource development, from training and attracting personnel to employing and retaining talent. In the coming period, the healthcare sector will continue to promote specialized training, expand cooperation with medical universities and central-level hospitals, strengthen technical transfer, and provide on-site training to improve the professional capacity of healthcare workers.

During recent working sessions with hospitals in Dong Nai, Le Truong Son, Member of the City Party Committee’s Standing Board and Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, stated that based on the recommendations and proposals of the DoH, the City People's Committee will consider proposing that the City People's Council issue a resolution on support and attraction policies for Dong Nai's healthcare human resources in the near future. This is expected to help retain and attract highly qualified medical personnel.

Regarding grassroots healthcare, the DoH will continue coordinating with the Department of Home Affairs, relevant agencies, and local authorities to review and supplement staffing at health stations based on actual needs. At the same time, it will strengthen on-site training and professional development for doctors, particularly in remote and isolated communes, while implementing remote consultations and technical transfer, and expanding the list of medical examination and treatment services available at health stations so residents can access quality services in their own localities.

"The healthcare sector recommends that the city authorities continue to pay attention to healthcare workforce development and issue policies to attract, train, and support healthcare professionals in the new stage. At the same time, it should increase staffing quotas for medical facilities, especially commune-level health stations, and prioritize investment in infrastructure, equipment, and information technology infrastructure to support digital transformation and electronic medical records," proposed Do Thi Nguyen, Director of the Dong Nai DoH.

By Hanh Dung – Translated by Minh Hong, Minho