Objectives and the necessity of adjusting the allowances
Over the years, changes in disease patterns and the complex nature of epidemics have created immense pressure on the healthcare system. However, the remuneration regime for grassroots and preventive healthcare has not been truly commensurate, leading to a situation where healthcare workers are resigning. Proposing a new policy at this stage is practical, especially to support positions facing high occupational risks or the danger of medical violence.
Details of the 6 proposed occupational preferential allowance levels
The draft categorizes specific allowance levels based on the nature, working environment, and risk level of each medical position, as follows:
– Level 100%: Applied to staff directly involved in intensive care, poison control, caring for psychiatric patients, forensics, and pathology. Notably, the group of personnel working at commune health stations and preventive facilities in remote, isolated, border, and island areas is also proposed to receive this maximum level (an increase from the current 70%). Raising the rate for this group will follow a roadmap: 80% (in 2026), 90% (in 2027), and reaching 100% (from 2028).
– Level 70%: For individuals directly treating group A infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, leprosy, caring for newborns; working in biosafety level III, IV laboratories or opiate addiction treatment facilities. The preventive medicine sector, disease control centers, and border health quarantine also belong to this group.
– Level 60%: Applied to the treatment of common infectious diseases, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, pathogen testing, and community epidemiological surveillance.
– Level 50%: For personnel performing professional work in anesthesiology and resuscitation, pediatrics, burns, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, clinical pharmacy, and infection control.
– Level 40%: Applied to the general medical examination and treatment group, rehabilitation, traditional medicine, drug manufacturing, nutrition, equipment maintenance, and administrative staff at specialized hospitals (infectious diseases, psychiatry, tuberculosis, leprosy).
– Level 30%: Applied to those working in population tasks, health communication, school health, and administrative personnel at regular healthcare public service units (this level has been proposed to increase by 10% compared to the old regulation). In addition, healthcare facilities have the right to self-consider paying allowances for contract workers based on the nature of the work and actual revenue.
Calculation method and budget estimate
The occupational preferential allowance is calculated based on the formula: The proposed percentage multiplied by the current professional title salary, plus leadership and extra-seniority allowances (if any). The actual amount received by each individual will vary depending on their current salary coefficient and allowances.
According to the impact assessment from the Ministry of Health, this policy will change the structure of the salary fund and increase human resource costs at medical facilities. Because the allowance is factored into the composition of medical service prices, this adjustment may lead to an increase in medical examination and treatment prices, increased payments from the health insurance fund, as well as the portion of hospital fees that citizens must co-pay.
Financially, the Ministry of Health estimates that the budget needed to supplement the payment for the increased allowance in 2026 is about 5,961 billion VND (the state grants 5,136 billion VND, autonomous units manage more than 825 billion VND). This budget is expected to increase to 6,351 billion VND in 2027 and remain at 6,714 billion VND per year from 2028 onwards.
Center for Support & Continuing Education