Vietnam Strengthens Doctor Dispatch Program to Improve Rural Healthcare Quality

Thai Nguyen province in northern Vietnam is continuously implementing its "doctor dispatch" program, sending physicians from higher-level hospitals to local medical facilities to address doctor shortages and improve healthcare services for residents. This initiative ensures that the province's commune health stations maintain a staffing level of four doctors each, thereby enhancing the quality of medical examinations and treatment. It also provides an opportunity for dispatched doctors to hone their skills and gain practical experience. For instance, Dr. Nông Văn Lực, an experienced physician, proactively accepted a role as Deputy Director at the Bạch Thông commune health station, traveling over 20 kilometers to his new workplace despite his age. Facing challenges such as a wide jurisdiction and a shortage of doctors, Dr. Lực and the station's staff developed a plan to deploy personnel appropriately across three sites, ensuring at least one healthcare worker per hamlet. This strategic arrangement has made healthcare more accessible, with residents noting the convenience of choosing the nearest facility for check-ups and treatments. Initially facing a doctor deficit, the Bạch Thông commune health station now boasts four qualified doctors, capable of effectively serving the community. Other doctors have also voluntarily joined, including one from the provincial health department and another from the Phùng Chí Kiên Hospital, further strengthening the station's leadership and workforce. In areas like Thượng Quan commune, characterized by its large, fragmented terrain and sparse population, accessing healthcare can be particularly difficult due to long distances to remote hamlets. To alleviate this burden, Bắc Kạn General Hospital has dispatched doctors from its General Surgery and Traditional Medicine-Rehabilitation departments to the Thượng Quan commune health station. The Chairman of the Thượng Quan Commune People's Committee highlighted the significant role of doctor dispatch in bolstering the health station and enabling residents to receive care from skilled physicians from higher-level facilities. Starting July 1, 2026, Phạm Ngọc Thạch Hospital will commence its second round of doctor dispatches for the year, sending three physicians to three communes within the province. The hospital's Deputy Director, Tăng Thị Mai Hương, has tasked these doctors with leveraging their expertise, sense of responsibility, and medical ethics to excel in their assignments. Commune and ward health stations serve as the frontline for primary healthcare, being the closest points of contact for the public and the initial gatekeepers of the healthcare system. However, in mountainous and remote regions, limited transportation, vast administrative areas, and a shortage of medical personnel and facilities pose significant challenges. A single commune health worker often juggles multiple responsibilities, from patient care and preventive medicine to implementing national target programs on population, vaccination, and food safety. In this context, increasing the number of doctors at the grassroots level is an urgent necessity. The Thai Nguyen province's policy of dispatching doctors is considered a breakthrough, effectively addressing the shortage of qualified medical personnel in communes and wards. According to the leadership of the Thai Nguyen Department of Health, dispatching doctors to communes not only resolves immediate staffing issues but also aims for the sustainable improvement of primary healthcare quality. When people can access quality medical services locally, the pressure on higher-level hospitals is significantly reduced, contributing to a more equitable and efficient healthcare system. To date, a total of 48 doctors have been dispatched to 35 communes and wards across Thai Nguyen province. These physicians are actively contributing to enhancing the quality of local healthcare services and better meeting the medical needs of the population. By April 1, 2026, all health stations in Thai Nguyen province are expected to have a full complement of four doctors, thanks to the reinforcement from higher-level medical facilities. The Thai Nguyen Department of Health plans to continue this doctor dispatch initiative progressively until 2030.