Vietnam Proposes Stricter Policies for Resident Doctor Training

Vietnam's Ministry of Health is drafting new regulations aimed at standardizing and enhancing the training of resident doctors (BSNT) and specialized doctors. The proposed guidelines introduce stringent entry criteria, requiring applicants to be recent graduates with good academic records, minimum foreign language proficiency, and only one attempt to pass the resident doctor entrance exam.

Under the proposed rules, resident doctors must undergo performance evaluations during their training. Failure to meet standards after two assessment attempts could lead to dismissal. These measures are part of an effort to professionalize postgraduate medical education and ensure a high caliber of specialists.

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I believe we need to take a step further. The state should build a comprehensive policy for doctors undergoing specialized training, including their legal status, salary or training allowance, insurance, working conditions, duty hours, rest, and professional rights. This is not simply a welfare policy for a group of trainees. It is an investment in the country's health human resources for the next 20-30 years.

However, experts like GS-TS Phạm Mạnh Hùng, Director of the Institute of Cardiology at Hospital 19.8, argue that the draft needs to go further. While acknowledging provisions for tuition fees, scholarships, and remuneration, Hùng stresses the need for a comprehensive national policy. This policy should encompass legal status, salary or training allowances, insurance, working conditions, duty hours, rest periods, and professional rights for doctors in specialized training.

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The nature of resident doctor training is very different from a normal academic training program. Resident doctors examine patients, do hospital duty, monitor patients, participate in emergencies, perform procedures, and gradually take on professional responsibilities under the direct supervision of the hospital. This is a process of vocational training in a real practice environment. Therefore, the mindset needs to change from 'trainees must pay to be trained' to 'the State and the health system invest to train specialized human resources for the future'.

GS Hùng advocates for a shift in perspective, viewing resident doctor training not as a cost but as a crucial investment in the nation's medical human resources for the next 20-30 years. He points out that resident doctors actively participate in patient care, hospital duties, and procedures under supervision, making their training a practical, on-the-job process. He supports Ho Chi Minh City's initiative to offer full tuition support for resident doctors, linking human resource needs with training investment and a commitment to service.

Leaders from other major hospitals, including Bach Mai Hospital, also indicated that their institutions provide support to resident doctors. The Ministry of Health's Department of Science, Technology and Training expressed a desire for resident doctors to be tuition-free, though current regulations leave fee decisions to training institutions, with support varying by hospital.

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This approach is very reasonable because it links three factors: human resource needs - training investment - commitment to serve. This is not simply 'giving money' to doctors to study, but investing in the health human resources that Ho Chi Minh City needs in the future.