A survey conducted by a project operator in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health found that 34 percent of healthcare workers in the city are at risk of developing depression, highlighting the growing concern for mental health within the sector.

The survey also revealed that 31 percent of them face anxiety and 25 percent experience stress.

Medical workers citywide had to endure intense pressure in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with unprecedented challenges that significantly heightened stress, anxiety, and exhaustion.

Therefore, the Meeting Targets and Maintaining Epidemic Control (EpiC) project teamed up with the city’s health authority to launch a mental health program aimed at supporting healthcare workers in the southern metropolis.

The survey, conducted between December 2023 and May 2024, assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of healthcare workers regarding mental health.

Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, deputy director of the municipal Health Department, emphasized that hospital leaders are responsible for providing mental health care for their staff to ensure the quality and efficiency of healthcare services.

He urged hospitals to set up internal mental health networks, led by social work or nursing departments.

Nguyen Thai Thanh Phong, deputy head at the general planning department under District 1 Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he often deals with significant pressure, sometimes to the point of losing sleep due to the heavy workload. Photo: Tien Quoc / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Thai Thanh Phong, deputy head at the general planning department under District 1 Hospital, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that healthcare workers had faced immense pressure during the pandemic.

Medical workers at his hospital constantly deal with overwhelming pressure, with some of them failing to handle stress and eventually having to quit their job.

Some others switched to working for private healthcare units or starting their own business.

“It’s a pleasure knowing that mental health has become a priority,” Phong elaborated and welcomed new mental health support initiatives.

Regarding the EpiC project, it is a global initiative funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

According to USAID, the project works with provincial health authorities in Vietnam to strengthen their HIV programs.

This includes improving their monitoring of the HIV epidemic by conducting regular reviews of provincial HIV programs, and expanding their use of domestic financing to pay for HIV treatment.

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