Do village health workers providing primary healthcare need to have intermediate healthcare qualifications in Vietnam?

Do village health workers providing primary healthcare need to have intermediate healthcare qualifications in Vietnam?

Pursuant to Article 2 of Circular 07/2013/TT-BYT stipulating standards for village health workers as follows:

1. In terms of training and professional qualifications:

a) Village health workers providing primary healthcare shall have at least an elementary healthcare qualification or complete at least a 3-month training course in the training framework for village health workers of the Ministry of Health;

b) Village midwives shall complete at least a 6-month training course in the training framework for village midwives of the Ministry of Health.

2. Village health workers shall be living and having a stable job in villages; voluntarily working as village health workers or midwives.

3. Village health workers shall be responsible persons, enthusiastic in social activities, capable of persuading the people and trusted by local communities.

4. Village health workers shall be in good health to carry out their tasks.

Thus, village health workers providing primary healthcare must have at least an elementary healthcare qualification or complete at least a 3-month training course in the training framework for village health workers of the Ministry of Health. Therefore, it is not necessary to have an intermediate healthcare qualification to be a village health worker providing primary healthcare in Vietnam.

Do village health workers work full-time in villages in Vietnam?

According to Article 5 of Circular 07/2013/TT-BYT stipulating allowances, equipment and methods of working as follows:

1. Allowances for village health workers shall be provided in accordance with applicable regulations of the State. There may be additional monthly allowances from other legal funding sources as prescribed by competent authorities.

2. Each village health worker shall be provided with medical equipment and tools on the list compiled by the Ministry of Health.

3. Village health workers shall work part-time in villages. Village health workers shall be responsible for proactively managing and arranging their schedules to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks prescribed in this Circular.

According to this Article, village health workers work part-time in villages. Village health workers will arrange and manage their schedules to ensure the fulfillment of the tasks as prescribed in Vietnam.

What are tasks of village health workers providing primary healthcare in Vietnam?

In Clause 1, Article 4 of Circular 07/2013/TT-BYT, the tasks of village health workers providing primary healthcare are:

a) Educating about health in local communities such as:

- Disseminating knowledge on health protection, environmental hygiene and food safety;

- Providing guidance on some primary healthcare measures; disease prevention and control in local communities;

- Educating people on HIV/AIDS prevention and control;

- Providing information and advice on population work - family planning.

b) Participating in specialized healthcare activities in local communities such as:

- Detecting, participating in monitoring and reporting status of epidemics, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, social diseases, diseases transmitted by food in villages;

- Participating in monitoring the quality of water used for consumption and daily activities; household and public hygienic constructions in villages;

- Participating in spreading movements of hygiene and disease prevention, food safety, community health improvement, building of health culture villages.

c) Providing maternal and child healthcare and family planning such as:

- Encouraging and persuading pregnant women to visit commune-level healthcare stations for pregnancy management registration, pregnancy examination and to give birth in healthcare establishments; providing help to births before arrival;

- Providing guidance, monitoring and providing homecare to mothers and their newborns within 06 weeks after birth;

- Providing guidance on some simple measures on monitoring and caring for children and preventing and controlling malnutrition of children under 05 years of age;

- Providing guidance on family planning, providing and instructing use of condoms, oral contraceptives as prescribed by the Ministry of Health.

d) Providing first-aid and healthcare for common diseases such as:

- Performing first-aid in case of emergencies and accidents;

- Providing healthcare for some common diseases in local communities;

- Providing guidance on healthcare of the elderly, disabled persons, persons with social diseases and non-communicable diseases in the home.

dd) Participating in implementation of healthcare programs in villages.

e) Encouraging and instructing the people to grow and use Vietnamese traditional herbs in the home to prevent and treat some common diseases.

g) Participating in periodical briefings with healthcare stations of communes, wards and towns (hereinafter referred to as “commune-level healthcare stations”); participating in specialized training and refresher courses organized by superior healthcare authorities to improve qualifications.

h) Managing and using medical bags of villages efficiently.

i) Recording and reporting promptly and fully as instructed by commune-level healthcare stations.

Thus, village health workers providing primary healthcare have the tasks specified above in Vietnam.

Best Regards!