Health workers quit during pandemic in Vietnam’s largest epicentre

By Phong Lan
Dantri Online Newspaper, Vietnam

HO CHI MINH: Many doctors and nurses in the Covid-19 epicentre of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam have left their jobs due to high work pressure.

Speaking at the recent meeting on Covid-19 treatment in the city, Chief of the municipal Health Department Office, Nguyen Thi Huynh Mai announced that roughly 1,000 health workers had resigned in the first 10 months of 2021.

“In their resignation letter, most of the doctors and nurses explained that they had to stop work due to personal or family issues,” the official said.

However, the real reasons for many health workers seem to relate more to the high work pressure caused by the pandemic.

Nguyen Thi Thuy just stopped working as a nurse at Cu Chi District Hospital. She said that the long working hours under high pressure during the recent Covid-19 outbreak had caused lots of physical and mental problems.

“As the number of patients soared, we had to work longer hours and only had one day off every two weeks,” Thuy said. “Besides the bigger workload, we faced constant fear of contracting the virus at any time. I had insomnia and irregular menses during that time. Meanwhile my income was only VND 8 million (USD 348).”

The nurse said that she had tried to work and wait until the pandemic eased to submit her resignation letter.

“I decided to stop working at the hospital and open a beauty-care clinic,” she said.

Doctor Truong Thanh has also left his job at a large hospital in HCM City. He said the reason is not related to his income but due to his health problems.

“We received good payment and care when working at a large hospital for Covid-19 treatment during the pandemic,” the doctor said. “But I’ve become exhausted and just can’t continue the work in my current condition. I need time to overcome my problems and maybe I will choose another job after that.”

While health workers have become exhausted struggling with the heavy workload during the recent serious virus outbreak, head of Dong Thanh Commune Healthcare Centre in Hoc Mon District, Pham Van Nghia, said that the centre had only nine staff members but had to take care of over 100,000 people.

“The centre is co-operating with some mobile healthcare stations sent by the city to provide treatment for nearly 850 Covid-19 patients in our commune,” he said. “Their work has become much harder since the pandemic occurred but their income remained the same. Many of them have said they wanted to stop working.”

According to Doctor Tran Van Song, vice director of the 115 People’s Hospital, many doctors and nurses in the city had bravely volunteered to take on difficult tasks in the fight against the pandemic. However, many of them have become exhausted after the long and hard fight. And they need more encouragement and care now.

Psychology expert Le Minh Cong from the University of Social Sciences and Humanity under the Vietnam National University – HCM City also said that health workers are facing the highest risks of having mental problems during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Some surveys have shown that health workers may develop a type of anxiety disorder and irrational fear a long time after due to constantly facing the severe moments when treating their patients. They are really needing support to improve their mental health.”