Joint Circular No. 08/2007/TTLT-BYT-BNV guiding the staffing norms for public health institutions in state-owned healthcare facilities

JOINT CIRCULAR

Guidelines for staffing norms in state-owned healthcare facilities

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Based on Decree No. 71/2003/NĐ-CP dated June 19, 2003 of the Government on decentralizing management of administrative and public service staff quotas;

Based on Decree No. 49/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 15, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

Based on Decree No. 45/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 9, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs;

Based on Decision No. 153/2006/QĐ-TTg dated June 30, 2006 of the Prime Minister approving the overall plan for developing the healthcare system in Vietnam until 2010 and with a vision to 2020;

Based on the guidance of the Prime Minister in Circular No. 6128/VPCP-VX dated October 25, 2006, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs provide guidelines for staffing norms in state-owned healthcare facilities as follows:

This technical regulation sets out technical requirements, testing methods, sampling procedures; management requirements; responsibilities of organizations and individuals producing, trading, and importing cigarettes.

1. Scope of regulation and applicable subjects

a) This circular provides guidelines for staffing norms in state-owned healthcare facilities under various ministries, sectors, and localities, including: Healthcare facilities for diagnosis and treatment (hospitals, research institutes with beds, health centers with beds); preventive healthcare facilities and village, ward, town health stations.

b) The staffing norms in this circular do not apply to:

Healthcare facilities under military forces, Institutes, and Preventive Health Centers directly under ministries and sectors.

Healthcare facilities responsible for treatment, rehabilitation, and functional recovery under the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs and village healthcare facilities.

Staffing norms do not include contractual positions as defined in Decree No. 68/2000/NĐ-CP dated November 17, 2000 of the Government regarding the implementation of contract-based systems for certain types of work in administrative agencies and public service units.

2. Basis for establishing staffing norms

a) For healthcare facilities with diagnostic and treatment functions

Based on: Planned number of beds and average bed utilization over the last three years; type of diagnostic and treatment facility; classification of diagnostic and treatment facilities; technical level and financial capacity.

b) For preventive healthcare facilities

Based on: Population size, geographical characteristics, technical level, classification of public service units, disease prevention and control tasks, socio-economic and ecological features of each region, and financial capacity to ensure sufficient personnel working regular hours and on duty for disease prevention and control.

c) For inspection and testing healthcare facilities

Based on: Socio-economic conditions, technical level, classification of public service units, and local needs to ensure completion of workload.

II. STAFFING NORMS FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT FACILITIES (Hospitals, Research Institutes with Beds, and Health Centers with Beds)

1. Staffing norms for Level 3: Diagnostic and treatment facilities meeting Class I or special standards

Unit of measurement: person/bed

2. Staffing norms for Level 2: Multi-specialty diagnostic and treatment facilities meeting Class II standards or higher; specialty diagnostic and treatment facilities classified as Class II and III

a) Multi-specialty and specialty diagnostic and treatment facilities

b) Specialized diagnostic and treatment facilities with unique characteristics:

Unit of measurement: person/bed

For specialized dental hospitals outside the quota ratio based on the number of beds, an additional 2 staff members per dental chair may be added.

3. Staff Quota for Level 1: Multi-specialty hospitals meeting standards of Grade III and IV

Unit of measurement: person/bed

4. Ratio of Departmental and Specialized Staff Composition

III. STAFF QUOTA FOR PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS

1. Staff Quota for Provincial and Central City Preventive Health Centers

2. Staff Quota for Specialized Centers

a) International Health Quarantine Center (for provinces and cities with border gates): Staff quota is 15, plus 7 additional staff for each additional gate. Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have a minimum quota of 50.

b) Occupational Health and Environmental Protection Center: Staff quota is 30 for provinces with at least five industrial zones, economic zones, and high-tech parks.

3. Staff Quota for District and County Preventive Health Centers

4. Ratio of Departmental and Specialized Staff Composition

IV. STAFF QUOTA FOR HEALTH STATIONS AT COMMUNE, WARD, AND TOWN LEVEL

Based on tasks and needs for people's health care, the staff quota for commune, ward, and town health stations is determined according to geographical characteristics, socio-economic conditions, and population size as follows:

1. Minimum Quota: 5 staff members for each commune, ward, or town health station.

2. For mountainous and island communes with over 5,000 residents: Increase 1 staff member for every additional 1,000 residents; maximum not exceeding 10 staff members per station.

3. For plain and midland communes with over 6,000 residents: Increase 1 staff member for every additional 1,500 to 2,000 residents; maximum not exceeding 10 staff members per station.

4. For ward and town health stations with over 8,000 residents: Increase 1 staff member for every additional 2,000 to 3,000 residents; maximum not exceeding 10 staff members per station.

5. For wards, towns, and communes with healthcare facilities located within their territory: Allocate a maximum of 5 staff members per station.

V. ADJUSTMENT FACTORS

1. Adjustment Factor According to Geographic Region

Adjustment Factor = Prescribed Factor x Average Bed Utilization Rate Over Three Consecutive Years / 100;

Example: A Grade I Level 3 multi-specialty hospital with 1,000 beds has an average bed utilization rate of 130% over three years. The staff quota is calculated as follows: Total Staff = 1.45 x (130/100) x 1,000 = 1,885 staff members.

3. Adjustment Factor for Preventive Healthcare Facilities

a) Provinces and cities that already have specialized hospitals such as Tuberculosis, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Dermatology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology will reduce the staff quota for Social Disease Prevention Centers and Reproductive Health Care Centers by 10% to 15% from the numbers listed in the table above.

b) For provincial preventive health centers performing functions of other preventive healthcare facilities, an additional 20% to 25% of the staff quota of those facilities will be added to the table above.

c) For provinces and cities with border gates where the number of people entering and exiting exceeds 1,000 per day and the number of vehicles crossing exceeds 50 per day, an additional 20% to 25% of the prescribed staff quota will be added.

1. Based on the guidelines for staff quotas in state-owned healthcare institutions in this Circular and the provisions in Circular No. 89/2003/TT-BNV dated December 24, 2003, issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs guiding the implementation of administrative and public service staffing management decentralization, the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities shall direct the Directors of Health Departments, Civil Service Departments, and Finance Departments to develop local public service staffing plans to be submitted to the respective People's Councils for decision.

VI. IMPLEMENTATION

2. The People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities are responsible for directing, guiding, and supervising subordinate public service units to implement laws on staffing management mechanisms, recruitment, employment, and personnel management in state-owned public service units, rights of self-management and responsibility for fulfilling tasks, staffing, and finance for public service units, and annually reporting on the implementation of public service staffing as required by law.

3. Funding for implementing the staff quotas stipulated in this Circular shall be provided according to current budget management decentralization regulations and the financial capacity of the locality.

4. This Circular takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. The staff quotas specified in this Circular replace the labor wage planning criteria for the healthcare sector issued with Decision No. 07/UB-LDTL dated January 23, 1975, by the Chairman of the State Planning Commission, and the guidance on the number of grassroots medical personnel in Circular No. 08/TT-LB dated April 20, 1995, jointly issued by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs, and the Government Personnel Organization Department.

5. During implementation, if any issues arise or difficulties occur, they should be reported to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs for consideration and resolution./.

5. During the implementation process, any arising issues or difficulties should be reported to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Home Affairs for consideration and resolution./.