Situation and the need of specialist surgeons working in provincial and district hospitals by ecological regions throughout Vietnam

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: Surgical pathologies account for 28-32% of the global disease burden, however human resource in surgery (surgical workforce) is still not good enough. The study aimed to describe the current situation and the need of specialist surgeons for working in provincial and district hospitals by representation of ecological regions (ecoregions). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study has conducted in 7 provinces/cities with 27 hospitals. Results: The current number of surgeons was mostly distributed for the Coastal and Southern Central regions accounted for 23.3%; in Red River Delta was 22.3%. The need for surgeons for the Central Coast and South-Central region (30.6%) was the highest, but its lowest in the Central Highlands region for 2025. The distribution of surgical workforce according to the hospital classification categories showed that the surgeons commonly work in provincial level (81.1%). The need for surgeons for provincial hospitals was the highest as 78.4%. Conclusion: The distribution of surgical workforce was unbalanced among ecoregions, especially there was a shortage of specialist surgeons such as neurosurgeons, cardiovascular and pediatric surgeons. It is recommended to support in-depth training in professional knowledge and skills and prioritize short-term, more practical types. Keywords: Human resource situation, human resource needs, demand for doctors, surgeons