Results of Medical service provision after 3 years of financial autonomy implementation at Thu Duc District Hospital - Ho Chi Minh City in the period of 2017-2019

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to describe results and analyze some advantages and disadvantages of medical service provision after 3 years of financial autonomy implementation at Thu Duc District Hospital in the period of 2017 - 2019. Methods: Descriptive design incorporates quantitative research based on secondary data on hospital operations from 2018 - 2019 and qualitative research conducted through 25 in-depth interviews with managers, medical staffs and patients from June to October 2020 at Thu Duc District Hospital. Results: The results of medical service provision are increased markedly: the number of patients increased approximately 132%, the number of subclinical services increased 148%; number of surgeries increased by almost 113%; The hospital could performed nearly 91% of the right-level technical list; The patient satisfaction rate remained high from 87.6% to 94.3%; Hospital quality score was good (4.2 points); Advantages included: human resources had stable structure and increased both of quantity and quality; medical equipment were invested more numbers and more modern; the revenue-expenditure gap has increased over the years. Disadvantages included: the speed of human development sometimes failed to keep up with the number of patients; facilities are still limited, equipment is depreciated quickly. Conclusion: Thu Duc District Hospital should prioritize investment in facilities, develop incentive mechanisms to pay appropriate wages according to job positions to stabilize human resources to meet the increasing medical needs of patients. Key words: Medical service provision, financial autonomy implementation