'Wave' of proposals to exempt tuition fees for resident doctors

After the Matching Day event of Hanoi Medical University, an issue that many people are concerned about is the tuition fee for the residency program.

“Open letter requesting tuition exemption for resident doctors” by Dr. Bui Tri Dat has attracted nearly 5,000 likes, nearly 800 comments and more than 800 shares - Photo: Screenshot

A "wave" of proposals to exempt tuition fees for medical residents is being shared on social networks.

After 2 days, "Open letter requesting tuition exemption for resident doctors" by Dr. Bui Tri Dat (29 years old, studied obstetrics and gynecology at the Military Medical Academy) attracted nearly 5,000 likes, nearly 800 comments and more than 800 shares.

Worrying about the burden of tuition fees for resident doctors

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online about this open letter, Dr. Dat said that his sister was a resident doctor in the 40th class of Hanoi Medical University, so she somewhat understands the difficulties and hardships of resident doctors.

Unlike other training systems, resident doctors both study theory and directly participate in treating and caring for patients on the front lines.

Their schedules are packed, with almost no time off. They work 12-16 hours a day, from 7am to 8pm. They work 2-3 night shifts a week, many of which last 24-36 hours. The rest of the time is spent studying, reading, and preparing for professional exams.

"However, at that time, resident doctors were exempted from tuition fees and also received a subsidy of 2-3 million VND/month to cover living expenses and study with peace of mind. But now, these support policies have been completely cut off," said Dr. Dat.

Accordingly, currently, the tuition fee for the residency program ranges from 70-80 million VND/year, equivalent to 210-240 million VND for all 3 years. That does not include other expenses such as living expenses, rent, study materials and especially the cost of master's thesis. Meanwhile, the busy work schedule makes it impossible for resident doctors to work part-time to support themselves, forcing them to depend entirely on their families.

During the 3 years, residents not only study but also take on a huge amount of work at the hospital, from emergency, operating room, ICU to daily patient care.

What worries him is that this force currently does not have a clear policy on salary, insurance or rest regime, while the work they undertake is extremely heavy and stressful.

"I do not propose free tuition for all medical students. We only recommend it for resident doctors, who are working on the front lines and shouldering great responsibilities. In cases where it is not possible to completely exempt tuition, it is necessary to significantly reduce tuition fees and have a transparent and sustainable financial support mechanism so that resident doctors can study and contribute with peace of mind.

This is an investment for the future of the healthcare industry. When good doctors are given good conditions, they will become the core force to treat millions of patients," Dr. Dat shared.

Under the article, many opinions expressed agreement with this proposal. A lecturer at a medical school in Ho Chi Minh City commented.

"As a lecturer myself, I appreciate the capacity of resident doctors, and their learning tasks are also more than those of equivalent levels in the medical field such as specialist 1 or master's. Therefore, I propose to restore the previous resident doctor regime, which is free training and paid salary."

Many countries have considered resident physician as a job position.

Speaking with Tuoi Tre Online , Professor Dr. Le Ngoc Thanh - principal of Hanoi Medical University - said that Vietnam's health training industry is unlike anyone else, and Vietnam's resident doctor training is even more unlike anyone else.

According to Mr. Thanh, many countries in the world consider resident doctors as a job position at the hospital. During the study period, resident doctors are like normal doctors and have a salary.

For example, there are Vietnamese residents studying in France whose tuition fees are also paid by this country. In France, the residency training system includes a salary fund, on-call fees, and surgery fees.

"Not only the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Training, but also the Ministry of Finance, must identify residency as a special training field. Residents are not students but are already doctors, working and contributing like a normal doctor, even more.

In Vietnam, the fact that resident doctors are studying continuously but still have to pay tuition is a paradox, going against the world. It is not a matter of free tuition, the problem is that resident doctors have to have a salary," said Mr. Thanh.

Mr. Thanh commented that tuition fees should only be applied to university level, while training resident doctors is specialized training, to have high quality medical human resources to serve the people.

WILLOW - NGUYEN BAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-song-de-xuat-mien-hoc-phi-cho-bac-si-noi-tru-20250914092245095.htm