WHAT POLICIES ATTRACT DOCTORS TO WORK IN

WHAT POLICIES ATTRACT DOCTORS TO WORK IN
DISADVANTAGED AREAS IN VIETNAM?
RESEARCH SUMMARY
MAY 2015
Health workforce research theme | Vietnam
Title
Attracting doctors to Commune Health Stations in the most disadvantaged areas of Vietnam: a discrete
choice experiment in six provinces.
Researchers
Tuan Khuong Anh1, Kate Mandeville2, Duane Blaauw3
Institutions
1
Start date
March 2015
Health Strategy and Policy Institute, Vietnam; 2London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK; 3Centre
for Health Policy, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.
Background
The uneven distribution of health workers in Vietnam, and severe shortage of doctors in rural and disadvantaged areas in
particular, is a primary concern of the Government and Ministry of Health. Despite efforts to attract and retain doctors to these
areas including through financial incentives, the proportion of Commune Health Stations (CHSs) staffed by a doctor has not
increased. A better understanding is needed about what types of incentives can attract doctors to work in disadvantaged areas.
Purpose of the research
The research aims to support the identification of the more effective policy interventions to attract doctors to work at CHSs in
the most disadvantaged areas in Vietnam. Specifically, it will evaluate the relative importance of different job characteristics
in attracting doctors to work in disadvantaged areas of Vietnam and their stated preferences for policy interventions that may
be used to attract them to these posts. The research will also assess the likely effectiveness of current and future government
interventions to improve the coverage of doctors in disadvantaged areas.
Study methods
The study design is a cross-sectional survey of public sector doctors, which will form part of a larger health facility survey being
undertaken by HSPI and the World Bank. The survey will consist primarily of a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE), which is a
quantitative method for eliciting preferences. Doctors will be asked to choose between hypothetical job descriptions, made up
of varying characteristics. These will include both financial incentives (such as special allowances for working in disadvantaged
areas) and non-financial incentives (such as preferential training opportunities).
Contact
Dr Tuan Khuong Anh,
Health Strategy and Policy Institute,
138 Giang Vo Street
Hanoi.
Email: khuong_tuan@yahoo.com
http://resyst.lshtm.ac.uk
This research is funded by UKaid from the
Department for International Development.
However, the views expressed do not necessarily
reflect the department’s official policies.
The Centre for
Health
Policy
Health Policy and Systems Research