On December 11, 2025, the National Assembly officially passed Resolution No. 261/2025/QH15. This is a vital legal document stipulating several specific mechanisms and policies to create breakthroughs in the protection, care, and improvement of people’s health. For medical staff, this Resolution brings fundamental changes regarding salary regimes, allowances, and the practicing environment, while simultaneously expanding medical examination and treatment benefits for the public.

New Strides in Salary Regimes and Occupational Preferential Allowances

One of the brightest points of the Resolution is the direct adjustment to the remuneration regime for the health sector workforce. Specifically, the titles of medical doctors, traditional medicine doctors, odontostomatology doctors, preventive medicine doctors, and pharmacists will be ranked at salary level 2 immediately upon recruitment, pending the issuance of new regulations on salaries. Notably, personnel belonging to the aforementioned titles who were previously recruited and are currently enjoying salary level 1 will also be adjusted to level 2 from the effective date of the Resolution.

Besides the basic salary, the policy on occupational preferential allowances is also specifically regulated to acknowledge the silent sacrifices of specific specialties. A 100% occupational preferential allowance level will be applied to those who regularly and directly perform professional medical work in the fields of psychiatry, forensics, forensic psychiatry, intensive care, and pathology. For medical staff at commune-level health stations and preventive medicine facilities, the benefit level is 100% if working in ethnic minority areas, mountainous regions, border areas, islands, or areas with strictly difficult socio-economic conditions. The remaining cases at this grassroots level will enjoy a minimum of 70%.

Protecting Medical Staff Honor and Flexibility in Recruitment

A safe working environment is a prerequisite for medical staff to work with peace of mind. Resolution No. 261 stipulates strict sanctions for acts of infringing upon the body or insulting the honor of medical staff. Violators, in addition to being subject to disciplinary, administrative, or criminal handling, are also forced to publicly apologize in the mass media or at the residence/workplace of that medical staff member.

Regarding recruitment, the new mechanism allows for the non-application of conditions regarding working time (probation) when receiving officials into commune-level health stations. The condition for application is that the personnel must have a suitable practicing license and commit in writing to work there for at least 05 years.

Attracting Resources and Incentives for Medical Infrastructure Investment

To solve the financial and facility equation, the State encourages the diversification of forms to attract social resources. These forms include investing in the establishment of private medical facilities, investing under the public-private partnership (PPP) method, borrowing capital to invest in infrastructure, or hiring/purchasing assets and medical services. In particular, public and private medical facilities operating not for profit will be exempted from corporate income tax.

Regarding land, the Provincial People’s Committee is responsible for prioritizing the allocation of land funds for the health system in the provincial planning. Land, after changing its use purpose to medical use, will enjoy policies of no collection of land use fees, reduction of land rent, and land use tax. This is a solid legal basis for expanding the medical examination and treatment network.

Expanding Health Insurance Benefits and Roadmap for Hospital Fee Exemption

From a clinical professional perspective, doctors need to clearly grasp the changes in Health Insurance (HI) benefits to advise patients. The HI fund will pay for the screening, diagnosis, and early treatment of certain diseases. The elderly aged 75 years of age and older who are receiving social pension benefits and people belonging to near-poor households will enjoy 100% of medical examination and treatment expenses within the scope of benefits.

Another important long-term goal is the roadmap to implement the policy of basic hospital fee exemption within the scope of enjoyment of HI participants, expected to apply from 2030 in accordance with socio-economic conditions.

This Resolution takes effect from January 01, 2026. This is an opportunity for the entire health sector to be ready for a new stage of development, focusing on professional quality and social security.

BSc. Truong Phan Hong Ha – Center for Support & Continuous Training