Ho Chi Minh City health stations face critical doctor shortages

Health stations in Ho Chi Minh City are grappling with significant staffing shortages, particularly a critical lack of doctors, impacting their ability to provide adequate healthcare to local communities. This issue was highlighted during a recent oversight visit by a delegation from the Ho Chi Minh City National Assembly delegation.

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With the current staff, the Health Station can only meet the basic workload. Some medical staff have to take on 3-4 health programs such as immunization, tuberculosis, mental health, population, food safety... leading to overload and lack of time for in-depth professional development.

Representatives from health stations in Dầu Tiếng, Minh Thạnh, Long Hòa, and Thanh An communes detailed their struggles. For instance, the Long Hòa Commune Health Station, which had two full-time doctors before June 2026, only managed to add one more. Despite a request for three rotating doctors, the plan has not yet been implemented, leaving the station's existing staff to juggle multiple health programs, including vaccination, tuberculosis, mental health, and population control, leading to burnout and reduced capacity for specialized care.

Similarly, the Minh Thạnh Commune Health Station, with 26 staff members including four doctors and ten general practitioners, is struggling to meet the needs of its 25,760 residents. While the current staff-to-population ratio meets basic targets, there is a severe deficit in specialized doctors for fields like psychiatry, ophthalmology, internal medicine, pediatrics, and otolaryngology. The station also lacks crucial IT personnel and paramedical technicians.

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With the current population of 25,760 people, the 26 medical staff can temporarily ensure the target of 1 staff member per 1,000 people, but it does not ensure specialized doctors such as psychiatry, ophthalmology, internal medicine, pediatrics, ear, nose, throat...; there is a lack of human resources in information technology, paraclinical technicians, administrative staff...

In response, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health is implementing a policy to rotate doctors and medical staff from higher-tier facilities to these commune-level stations. Deputy Director Nguyễn Hồng Chương acknowledged the facility upgrades in some areas but confirmed the ongoing personnel shortages. The National Assembly delegation has urged the Department of Health to propose solutions for ensuring a stable medical workforce for these stations by July 14.

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Ho Chi Minh City is currently implementing a policy to rotate doctors and medical staff from higher levels to the commune level to ensure staffing for the Health Stations.