In an interview with many newspapers on Tuesday, Dr Do Van Thanh, head of the hospital’s personnel management, said that of the total figure of 221 people who have left their job, only 28 are doctors. They have moved to private hospitals which can offer them higher pay. Some can receive hundreds of millions of VND per month compared to just VND15 million at Bach Mai Hospital.
Bach Mai Hospital
During the Covid-19 time, Bach Mai only had around 1,000 inpatients per day compared to up to 5,500 inpatients and 7,000 others coming daily for examinations previously. As a result, its income dropped drastically last year, hitting salaries. In 2020, the hospital income declined by VND2 trillion (USD86.95 million), equal to 30% on-year.
Meanwhile, the remainder is mainly staff from service providers of the hospital such as pharmacies. Under the restructuring following the financial autonomy mechanism, the hospital has halved the drugstore number to just five. It has also closed the funeral house service and some others, which has affected many employees. Each of them has got the two-month salary support, Thanh specified.
According to Thanh, it is normal to see the hospital's doctors to move to a private hospital for higher-income but less pressure. This, however, does not negatively affect the hospital’s operation. He noted that the hospital has recently recruited 500 highly qualified doctors, professors and others, raising its total number of staff to nearly 4,300.
Thanh also mentioned that the health sector’s stress and pressure during the Covid-19 pandemic would be among the causes affecting many medical staff at the hospital. Last September Bach Mai’s director and deputy director were arrested for allegedly over-invoicing certain medical equipment fraudulently. This would have worried some staff.
Thanh denied the rumour that the move was due to late salary payments.
Since 2020, Bach Mai has become Hanoi’s first public hospital to have financial autonomy.
