Social Work Department

Functions

The Social Work Department is a functional department under the direct direction of the Hospital Director.

The department advises the Board of Directors and organizes, manages and coordinates the implementation of social work services and activities; it supports patients, their families and healthcare staff in resolving social and psychological issues related to health, contributing to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment services and the satisfaction of patients and their families.

Duties

- Providing reception, guidance and customer care services:

+ Receiving patients, introducing services, providing information and counseling, guiding them through examination and treatment procedures, and entering patient information, creating the best possible conditions for patients when they come for examination and treatment in order to improve patient satisfaction;

+ Informing patients about their rights and obligations in medical examination and treatment, health insurance policies and programs, and social assistance for medical care;

+ Providing emergency social work support for patients who are victims of abuse, domestic violence, serious accidents, disasters or natural calamities to ensure their safety; 

+ Coordinating with clinics and clinical departments to support patients who are referred for transfer to another hospital, or assisting patients with discharge procedures.

• • • Providing emergency assistance, intervention and rehabilitation services for patients:

+ Assessing psychological and social risks and needs in order to screen and classify patients, with special attention to children, women, people with disabilities, people with mental health disorders and the elderly who are victims of violence, abuse, assault or disasters, or are suspected victims of violence, abuse or assault, and other cases requiring emergency support;

+ Coordinating with hospital departments to activate emergency support procedures for psychological and social issues and to meet patients' urgent needs for medical care, finances, drinking water, food, clothing and essential items according to their actual needs;

+ Coordinating with local authorities to complete procedures for transferring homeless and destitute patients without relatives to a Social Protection Center for continued care once their condition has stabilized;

+ Resolving conflicts arising between healthcare staff and patients or their families during examination and treatment at the hospital; 

+ Coordinating with clinical departments to support patients who are referred for transfer to another hospital, or assisting patients with discharge procedures.

• • • Health communication and education:

+ Planning health communication and education for the community;

+ Coordinating with departments and units within the medical facility to plan health communication and education for patients and their families;

+ Developing content and materials to promote the hospital's image and activities to the community; strengthening relationships between the hospital and the public, as well as with media agencies and domestic and international organizations and individuals, through activities, programs, events, conferences, workshops, internal information channels and digital platforms.

• • •  Mobilizing resources for social work activities:

+ Serving as a bridge to seek out and mobilize organizations, individuals, benefactors and the community to contribute material resources and equipment to promptly support patients in difficult and especially difficult circumstances who are unfortunately suffering from serious illnesses;

+ Through benefactors, encouraging relatives living abroad to contribute and provide timely support, both ad hoc and on a regular basis, to patients facing hardship.

Development Orientation

- Effectively fulfilling the advisory role to the Board of Directors in accordance with assigned functions and authority;

- Continuing to improve the quality of social work services in the hospital so that they develop strongly and bring high satisfaction to patients, contributing to the hospital's mission of providing comprehensive healthcare for the people. Specific goals for social work activities in the coming years:

• Online health counseling for the public; 
• Online registration for medical examination and treatment;
• Deploying a customer care hotline system;
• Integrating a social work module into the HIS system.