Deputy Head of the Department of Health Dr. Tang Chi Thuong had an brief exchange of words with Sai Gon Giai Phong reporter on the issue.
According to Dr. Thuong, from October 1 all public infirmaries must balance the accounts as per the government’s directive. The city decided from October 1 when hospitals adjust medical costs. Becoming self-financing hospitals is a current trend not only in Vietnam but also in the world.
However, in the first time, spending on building facilities, equipment will be covered by the city’s state budget.
In the first time, hospitals may face difficulties because the salaries of staffs had been paid by state budget yet after the date, hospital managers must balance spending and collecting. Moreover, while private infirmary managers are eligible to dismiss bad staffs yet their counterparts in public clinics can’t, said Dr. Thuong.
When it comes to the question how public hospitals stand firm in the face of difficulties and survive, Dr. Thuong advised managers and staffs to behave well to customers who will pay for them. Customers now have various options; accordingly, they will go to another clinics if the old one is not as good as they expect.
Dr. Thuong said firstly hospitals must improve medical workers’ skill to meet patients’ demands because if they can not treat patients, they must transfer patients to larger facilities; therefore, they lose their source of income.
Secondly, Dr. Thuong said, hospitals must improve service quality and treatment quality without halt to increase competition between hospitals which not only to attract patients but develop more to keep good nurses and doctors.
For past five years, in addition to ordering hospitals to follow the Ministry of Health’s guideline, the health authority in HCMC asked hospitals to observe treatment charts made by the Department of Health.
