He made this statement at yesterday’s conference of the Ministry of Health in Ho Chi Minh City to assess the nine-year implementation of Circular No. 43/2015/TT-BYT, which provides guidelines for organizing and implementing social work tasks in hospitals.
According to Director Ha Anh Duc of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management under the Ministry of Health, social work activities in hospitals have humanistic significance, contributing to building a patient-centered healthcare system, supporting patients and their families to overcome difficulties, and improving hospital performance.
In the last nine years, the Social Work Department of hospitals nationwide has facilitated the dissemination of medical examination and treatment service information to over 916 million patients.
Additionally, it has provided support and guidance regarding health insurance policies to more than 9.4 million patients and assisted in covering medical examination and treatment expenses for over 859,000 patients.
Despite the guidelines, more than 71 percent of hospital social work departments fail to provide emergency support to ensure the safety of patients who are victims of violence. Additionally, 68 percent of departments do not issue press statements or provide information, while 55 percent neglect to share patient information and encourage medical staff as he stated.
He said that the difficulties encountered in social work activities within hospitals can be attributed to several factors, including a shortage of human resources with appropriate expertise, the absence of clear competency standards for social workers in medical examination and treatment facilities, insufficient funding and support for these services, and challenges in coordinating between departments and units.
Deputy Head Nguyen Thi Thuy of the Social Work Department at Children's Hospital 2 underscored the challenges encountered by social workers in supporting children who are victims of abuse or neglect. These challenges include significant resistance from families and ineffective coordination with relevant parties.
Prior to the revelation of the abuse occurring at Hoa Hong Shelter, several children from this facility received treatment for pneumonia and infections at Children's Hospital 2. During their examination, the attending physician noted that the individual accompanying the children did not appear to be a family member.
Additionally, there were indications of potential violence against the children, prompting the doctor to request documentation to verify their identities. It was subsequently confirmed that the children were residents of the shelter. The hospital then notified the local police to ensure they were aware of the situation.
Aside from that, the Social Work Department of Children's Hospital 2 received and supported four suspected cases of violence, two cases of violence and one case of sexual abuse in 2024.
In light of the aforementioned circumstances, Children's Hospital 2 has entered into an inter-sectoral coordination agreement with the Ben Nghe Ward Police (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) and the Ho Chi Minh City Association for the Protection of Children's Rights. This agreement aims to enhance the safeguarding of children who have been abused or neglected.
The agreement is designed to strengthen accountability among the involved parties, expedite the process of receiving and verifying information, and ensure that children benefit from comprehensive physical and psychological support while having their legal rights upheld.
