A report from a national research institution warns of a domestic medical crisis. It highlights that the physician workforce is concentrated in popular specialties, and the medical delivery system has been distorted. The diagnosis is that neglecting this issue could lead to the collapse of essential and local medical services.
On the 26th, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA) released this information in its recently published report titled 'Research on Strategies for Promoting Patient-Centered Medical Reform.' According to the report, in the first half of last year, dermatology, ophthalmology, and plastic surgery recorded a 100% recruitment rate for first-year residents. In contrast, pediatrics had a rate of 26.2%, and cardiovascular thoracic surgery had only 38.1%. Essential healthcare is directly linked to the lives of citizens, but its high workload and legal burdens contribute to its aversion.
Medical disparities between regions have also emerged. There are 0.46 essential medical specialists per 1,000 individuals in non-metropolitan areas, compared to 1.8, which is four times greater, in the metropolitan area. Patients from regional areas sometimes travel to hospitals in Seoul for treatment. In this process, mild patients may also flock to advanced general hospitals that focus on treating rare diseases.
The report suggests that home and remote healthcare should be activated. It also emphasizes the need for 24-hour medical support services. Similar to the National Health Service (NHS) in the U.K., there is a demand for a medical guidance system that can check patients' conditions via phone or app 24 hours a day and direct them to appropriate hospitals. The report explains that this could solve the issue of patients being shuffled in and out of emergency rooms and allow citizens to experience healthcare services in their daily lives.