Why is the pharmaceutical industry always in a state of "thirsty" human resources?

The more society develops, the greater the need for health care and protection; the greater the willingness to pay for medical services, especially high-quality medical services of the people. These are the basic factors leading to the inevitable development of the pharmaceutical industry in Vietnam, bringing extremely potential and open job opportunities for students majoring in pharmacy.

People's demand for health care and spending on medicine are constantly increasing.

The demand for health care and medicine use of Vietnamese people has continuously increased in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Health, since 2011, Vietnam has officially entered the population aging phase. It is forecasted that by 2030, the proportion of elderly people will account for 18% and will increase to 26% by 2050. The rapid rate of population aging means that the demand for health care and medicine will increase continuously.

Ms. Le Thi Minh Chinh - President of Hanoi Pharmacy Association, lecturer of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dai Nam University said: “Not only the demand for regular treatment drugs, the demand for functional foods has also increased continuously in recent years. People are increasingly paying more attention to health care and protection, willing to pay for good drugs and quality medical services…”

A survey by Nielsen - a global business performance measurement company also showed that: "Health is the second concern (after a stable job) of Vietnamese consumers".

Explaining this fact, Mr. Nguyen The Tin - Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Association, Director of the Continuing Education Center for Pharmacy at Dai Nam University said: "As per capita income increases, the level of education improves, and the polluted living environment increases dangerous diseases, Vietnamese people are increasingly concerned about their health. People are more proactive in regular health check-ups, desire and find ways to use good treatment drugs, safe and effective functional foods... These are the basic factors leading to the inevitable development of the pharmaceutical industry in Vietnam."

According to BMI Research, the size of the Vietnamese pharmaceutical market has exceeded 5.9 billion USD (2018), making Vietnam the second largest pharmaceutical market in Southeast Asia. It is forecasted to increase to 7.7 billion USD by 2021 and to 16.1 billion USD by 2026. The rate of spending on drugs in Vietnam is quite high at 33%, while in Cambodia it is 44%, China 39%, Thailand 34%, Australia 16%.

Vietnam Report estimates that in the next 5 years, the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry is expected to continue to be in the group of 20 countries with the strongest and most stable growth in the world. 100% of experts believe that the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry will continue to grow at double-digit rates in the next period.

The pharmaceutical industry is always in a state of "thirst" for human resources.

Over time, Pharmacy has always been a field of study that maintains its "top form".

According to data from the Ministry of Health as of 2021, although the number of graduates from pharmaceutical schools has doubled compared to before, it still cannot meet the human resource needs of this industry.

Health experts say that the strong growth in consumer demand and market size has put Vietnam's pharmaceutical industry in a serious shortage of human resources.

Accordingly, to meet market demand, there needs to be 25,000 pharmaceutical staff with university degrees or higher, the demand for university pharmacists accounts for 85.63%; the demand for higher-level human resources such as PhDs, Masters, Pharmacists I and Pharmacists II accounts for 14.3%.

The survey results of 600 candidates and 43 enterprises in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment sector by Navigo Group (published in June 2020) showed that nearly half of candidates and enterprises said they were always in a state of shortage of human resources. Of which, 81% of employers "have a shortage of qualified candidates", 51% always have a need to recruit pharmaceutical representatives; 30% have a need to recruit regional business managers; 23% have a need to recruit other positions such as market development, pharmacists, etc.

The number of students graduating from pharmaceutical schools each year is still not enough to meet the industry's human resource needs.

Training dynamic and qualified pharmacists at Dai Nam University

Dai Nam University has been training human resources for the health sector since 2013 with three key training majors: Medicine, Pharmacy and Nursing, attracting thousands of students. As for Pharmacy, by 2021, the school had more than 1,200 graduates.

To provide good training in Pharmacy, Dai Nam University has invested time, effort and money to ensure facilities, lecturers' qualifications, training programs, and learning materials systems on par with major medical and pharmaceutical schools in the country and region, moving towards international integration.

>>> See more information about the dynamic and standardized Pharmacist training program at Dai Nam University HERE

Dai Nam University Pharmacy students have the opportunity to practice with modern equipment and machinery right at school.

The Pharmacy Practice Center is separate, located right at the school with 4 pharmaceutical chemistry experimental practice workshops with more than 50 rooms; 10 technical practice workshops with an area of 1,000 m2 meeting the standards set by the Ministry of Health for university pharmacist training facilities.

The practice pharmacy is equipped according to the GPP pharmacy model for students to practice selling drugs, practicing sales communication skills, practicing drug use consultation and practicing prescription analysis.

02 medicinal plant gardens are built according to the list of essential drugs issued by the Minister of Health.

The practical training program, the enthusiastic and experienced teaching staff, and the modern facilities of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Dai Nam University ensure that all theories are illustrated with practice, helping students easily grasp and apply knowledge quickly and effectively.

100% of graduates from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Dai Nam University have jobs in their field.

In the 2021-2022 school year, Dai Nam University enrolls students in Pharmacy - major code 7720201 - admission combination code A00, A11, B00, D07 according to two admission methods, considering grade 12 transcripts and high school graduation exam scores. With the admission method of considering grade 12 transcripts, candidates must have excellent grade 12 academic performance and a total score of 03 subjects according to the admission combination of 24 points or more. With the admission method of considering high school exam scores, the quality assurance threshold is publicly announced by the Admissions Council before July 30, 2021. See detailed information on Dai Nam University's 2021 admissions HERE.

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