Ho Chi Minh City proposes seconding hospital doctors to lead local health stations

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has proposed a plan to second doctors from hospitals to serve as directors of commune and ward health stations for periods of three to five years. This initiative aims to strengthen grassroots healthcare and improve administrative capacity at the local level.

Under the proposal, health stations will no longer operate in isolation but will be directly connected to specific hospitals. This partnership is intended to facilitate regular professional collaboration, including sharing human resources, expertise, and responsibility for patient care. The plan emphasizes regular consultations, remote medical advice, and the establishment of specific professional contact points to bring hospital-level expertise closer to local stations.

Doctors will be rotated to health stations based on high-demand specialties, such as internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, endocrinology, and geriatrics. Beyond clinical examinations, these doctors will work with local staff to manage non-communicable diseases, monitor the elderly, and provide preventive care training. For stations lacking leadership or facing management challenges, the city intends to second doctors who are already in leadership training or currently managing hospital departments to serve as station directors.