Human Resources for Mental Health Service Delivery in Viet Nam: Toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage

Human Resources for Mental Health Service Delivery in Viet Nam provides an overview of the country’s current state of and challenges to mental health service delivery. The framework of the report is composed of four interconnected domains: health care, social services, education and mental health literacy, and informal care systems. The organizational structure, significant achievements, critical gaps, and problems in mental health service delivery at the institutional and community levels are highlighted in terms of public demand, availability, accessibility, and quality of service. The report uses new empirical data from surveys, workshops, and group discussions with key stakeholders. It describes the mental health workforce in Viet Nam and analyzes critical issues, including the shortage of professionals (psychiatrists, mental health nurses, psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, occupational therapists, and others). Given the need to develop all levels of mental health care, the report addresses the uneven distribution of the provision of service between levels of health care institutions and rural and urban regions, competency mismatches, job satisfaction, recruitment, and challenges to the retention of mental health workers. The report also examines the need for mental health education and training at the institutional and structured program levels, as well as the supply constraints to the future development of the mental health workforce. The interdisciplinary team of authors emphasizes the urgent need for Viet Nam to strengthen its human resources for mental health service delivery toward achieving universal health coverage, including all mental disorders. The report’s evidence-based recommendations include multisectoral workforce planning; transformation of education and training; coordination, integration, and retention of the available workforce; improvement of the workforce governance framework; and strengthened mental health financing.