Ho Chi Minh City supports 100% of tuition fees up to 100 million VND/year for resident doctors

Ho Chi Minh City chooses to invest in resident doctors because a good doctor needs many years of training, but can bring value to thousands of patients throughout his career.

Ho Chi Minh City People's Council on August 27 approved a policy of 100% tuition support, maximum 100 million VND per year for resident doctors. Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Tang Chi Thuong said that this is not only a financial support policy, but also shows how the city views investment in medical human resources.

Resident physician training has long been considered one of the specific and highly demanded forms of postgraduate training in the medical industry. To enroll and complete the program, young doctors must go through an intense process of study, clinical practice and research at school and hospital.

The first years after graduating from university are the period when many young doctors start working, earn an income and gradually become independent. Meanwhile, those who choose boarding school continue to spend most of their time on training, hospital duty, professional practice, and scientific research.

After 6 years of medical school, continuing to pay tuition and living expenses for three years of residency training can therefore become a barrier, especially for those who do not have a stable source of income. Some young doctors who are capable and wish to study in depth may have to consider continuing their training and going to work early to earn income.

Currently, tuition for this system per year is about 53-66.5 million VND, depending on the school, not including other costs. Tuition support is equal to 100% of actual costs, maximum 100 million VND per person per year. For priority specialties that are difficult to attract, doctors are also supported with living expenses equivalent to twice the minimum wage in region one, currently about 10.62 million VND per month.

According to Mr. Thuong, the city's new policy directly impacts this difficulty, helping young doctors have more opportunities to choose a residency path based on their abilities and career orientation, instead of their family's financial capabilities.

"In health management, we increasingly realize that investing in high-quality human resources must be one step ahead," he said.

A CT, MRI machine or surgical robotic system, if resources are available, can be invested in and put into use in a relatively short time. A new hospital can also be built in several years. But to be a good doctor requires many years of studying, practicing and accumulating experience. To become a leading expert in the industry and then be able to train the next generation, the journey is even longer.

Ho Chi Minh City is aiming for a multi-layered, multi-polar, multi-center health system, developing specialized centers, while improving medical capacity in areas lacking resources. According to Mr. Thuong, no matter how much facilities and technology change, people are still the deciding factor in the quality of the health system.

Each year, the city plans to support about 400 resident doctors, of which about 80 are studying priority specialties, making it difficult to attract additional support for living expenses. The city currently prioritizes 15 specialties that are difficult to attract human resources, in the context that resident doctors only account for about 10-12% of doctors at public hospitals.

Doctors receiving the policy must commit to working at public medical examination and treatment facilities under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health for at least six years after completing the program and comply with mobilization and rotation when required. Training funding is a social resource, so doctors need to successfully complete the program and fulfill their commitment to working in the public health system.

"A young doctor can be supported by the city with a few hundred million dong during the years of training. But if that person becomes a good doctor, in the next 30-40 years of practice, thousands, even tens of thousands of patients can benefit," Mr. Thuong said.