The third group of doctors from the bags (smallest administrative unit) to undergo short-term training in China is heading to Hohhot. Before leaving, they met with the Minister of Health, S.Chinzorig. On the initiative of the Minister of Health, a program is being organized to train the human resources of the medical sector, especially nurses and midwives of local health institutions, in order to sustainably strengthen their capacity.
In 2023, within the framework of this program 200 nurses and midwives received short-term training in China and South Korea. The scope of training was expanded, and 84 doctors working in bags were given short-term training abroad. As a continuation of this work, 30 doctors or the third round are going to the International Mongolian Hospital in Hohhot to learn new methods that will be useful in providing medical care to rural people.
During the meeting with the doctors of bags, the minister gave a brief introduction about the work which is being done in the health sector, and said that the works are done on increasing the quality and availability of primary health care in the local area, improving the working conditions of doctors and medical specialists, moreover ensuring wages and social security.
Vehicles are the problem for bag doctors. Since most of them are women, it is not an easy task to ride a motorcycle to see the herders. In addition, the monthly amount of fuel does not allow them to go anywhere. The Minister of Health said that one doctor is responsible for two bags due to the lack of doctors and doctors are not given the medicines and injections needed to go to rural areas, so they have to take them with their own money or on loans. Therefore, the work of providing well-equipped ambulances and equipment to the provinces and soums will be done in stages, and the vehicle problem of 150 areas will be solved within this year. In addition, information such as the request to the World Health Organization to provide bag doctors with a set of tools necessary for examination and care were given.
B.Narantuya, the director of the Health Development Center, who is organizing the training, said that the doctors of the team had never been specially trained abroad and the doctors who came in the first round learned a lot from the place they went to, also some of them immediately applied what they learned to their work.
The opinions of doctors who came from the foreign training were shared. For instance, S.Byambaa, who has been working as a bag doctor since 1984 for the 40th year said, "Our working conditions are improving year by year and while working in the health sector for more than 20 years, we provided care services by private car, but we got a motorcycle and a car with local support in 2005. However, the problem is that all services are digitized, so it is necessary to connect the bags to the Internet and provide them with computer equipment.”
B.Amarbayasgalan who has been working as a bag doctor in the health sector for 12 years said, "Drinking water in our Baruunbayan-Ulaan soum of Uvurkhangai Province is high in salt, therefore the high blood pressure and kidney disease is common. I will learn what I need for my job from Hohhot's hospital as much as possible."
