Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Health clinics lack adequate funds, staff
05/06/2009
VietNamNet Bridge ? Health clinics in HCM City?s wards and communes have been suffering from a shortage of funds over the last several years, according to local officials.
Patients endure cramped conditions at Phu Yen hospital. A lack of funds has led to over-crowding at many hospitals and clinics in HCM City.
In the 50sq.m medical clinic in Hoc Mon district?s Trung Chanh commune, there is insufficient space and equipment for doctors and nurses to work, examine and treat patients, said Dr Nguyen Van Hong, head of the clinic.
He said the clinic, which has six doctors and nurses, was equipped with just one bed, a computer and an electrocardiogram machine. In terms of both personnel and equipment, this was inadequate to meet the demand of commune residents, she said.
A nurse at the health clinic in Thu Duc district?s Hiep Binh Chanh ward said its facilities were deteriorating and it was facing a shortage of doctors and nurses.
The situation is similar in many other health clinics in the city, and affects the quality of examination and treatment afforded to patients, health workers said.
In a meeting last week with the city?s Department of Health, Nguyen Viet Dung, director of the Thu Duc district Preventive Medicine Centre, said all medical stations in the district lacked doctors and nurses.
He said each clinic had between six to seven doctors while the population in each ward had gone up to between 40,000 and 50,000.
Given the situation, no doctor really want to work at clinics, he added.
Another problem facing the clinics was their lack of credibility among the residents who were not confident in the professional skills of the medical staff, the meeting heard.
Most residents prefered to visit hospitals when they fell sick regardless of the distance they had to travel compared to the local medical station.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Health/2009/06/851398/
05/06/2009
VietNamNet Bridge ? Health clinics in HCM City?s wards and communes have been suffering from a shortage of funds over the last several years, according to local officials.
Patients endure cramped conditions at Phu Yen hospital. A lack of funds has led to over-crowding at many hospitals and clinics in HCM City.
In the 50sq.m medical clinic in Hoc Mon district?s Trung Chanh commune, there is insufficient space and equipment for doctors and nurses to work, examine and treat patients, said Dr Nguyen Van Hong, head of the clinic.
He said the clinic, which has six doctors and nurses, was equipped with just one bed, a computer and an electrocardiogram machine. In terms of both personnel and equipment, this was inadequate to meet the demand of commune residents, she said.
A nurse at the health clinic in Thu Duc district?s Hiep Binh Chanh ward said its facilities were deteriorating and it was facing a shortage of doctors and nurses.
The situation is similar in many other health clinics in the city, and affects the quality of examination and treatment afforded to patients, health workers said.
In a meeting last week with the city?s Department of Health, Nguyen Viet Dung, director of the Thu Duc district Preventive Medicine Centre, said all medical stations in the district lacked doctors and nurses.
He said each clinic had between six to seven doctors while the population in each ward had gone up to between 40,000 and 50,000.
Given the situation, no doctor really want to work at clinics, he added.
Another problem facing the clinics was their lack of credibility among the residents who were not confident in the professional skills of the medical staff, the meeting heard.
Most residents prefered to visit hospitals when they fell sick regardless of the distance they had to travel compared to the local medical station.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/Health/2009/06/851398/