The Mekong Delta Region is currently seeking ways to increase the number and quality of doctors, especially neurologists, psychiatrists and forensic pathologists.

Students of Vo Truong Toan University

According to Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the Mekong Delta Region has the lowest doctor-to-patient ratio in Vietnam. Over 70 communes in Kien Giang Province have no doctors while Soc Trang Province has 3.89 doctors per 10,000 people. The ratio in An Giang is 4.56 and Tien Giang has 4.86.

The deputy director of Long An Province Department of Health, Vo Thi De, said, "Long An is located near HCM City, so doctors from this area prefer to work in the city. A mental health facility will be opened here in 2014, but we lack the trained professionals to operate it. Hopefully Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy will be able to help solve this problem."

Can Tho University of Medicine and Pharmacy that have the most modern facilities in the region of the Mekong Delta have been urged to make a priority out of training general practitioners in these specialties. Meanwhile, authorities in Soc Trang Province have asked the government to raise university enrollment targets in those areas.

"Veteran doctors are beginning to retire and they are not being replaced by young doctors who are willing to work here. We are hoping for a change in government policy that would allow students who have received high marks, but failed university entrance exams for general medicine departments, to be allowed entrance to other departments," said head of An Giang Province Department of Health.

Tran Thi Thai, Vice Chairwoman of Dong Thap Province People's Committee, said they need to start training health professionals immediately because it is a long-term task. "Someone in another field, a mechanic for example, can pay compensation for damage he has done to the machine he was working on. The healthcare industry is different. What sufficient compensation can a doctor make for malpractice?" she stated. 

One of the reasons the areas of forensic medicine and neurology are lacking in public hospitals is that the pay is so low in comparison with private practice. 

Even though the Mekong Delta has four private medical universities, concerns over the quality of training at these centres have been raised.