Residents living in underserved areas were found to experience gaps in essential medical fields such as pediatrics, obstetrics, and emergency care. There were cases in which parents spent the night with fever reducers because it was difficult to visit a hospital when a child was sick at night, or traveled to other regions to give birth due to a shortage of obstetricians. The government plans to strengthen regional, essential, and public health care to close these gaps.
The medical innovation committee under the prime minister, which is leading the government's medical reform, held its third meeting on the 26th and announced these details. The innovation committee is chaired by former National Medical Center (NMC) head Jeong Gi-hyeon. The innovation committee consists of 30 members, including Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Earlier, the innovation committee visited four medically underserved areas, including Geochang, South Gyeongsang, to hear opinions and conducted a public survey. As a result, the share of people who took more than one hour to reach a medical institution for treatment of serious illnesses was 49% in underserved areas, 25% in non-metropolitan non-underserved areas, and 30% in metropolitan non-underserved areas.
For childbirth, the share taking more than one hour was 53% in underserved areas, 30% in non-metropolitan non-underserved areas, and 28% in metropolitan non-underserved areas. Some residents in underserved areas traveled to other regions to give birth due to a lack of obstetricians.
For pediatric care, the share taking more than one hour was 14% in underserved areas and 2% each in non-metropolitan and metropolitan non-underserved areas. In underserved areas, it was common for parents to spend the night with fever reducers because no hospital could see children at night.
The share who perceived that there were sufficient medical institutions for pregnancy and childbirth in their area was 25% in underserved areas. The figures were 59% in non-metropolitan non-underserved areas and 63% in metropolitan non-underserved areas. The share who perceived that emergency care was sufficient was 32% in underserved areas, 63% in non-metropolitan non-underserved areas, and 65% in metropolitan non-underserved areas. There were also cases in which appropriate treatment was impossible because emergency rooms were insufficient or follow-up care was not supported.
To bridge medical disparities, the innovation committee proposed specialized regional hospitals. The plan is to designate local hospitals as specialized in areas such as cardiovascular care and mental health and to nurture them intensively. In addition, the committee discussed compensating more than 300% of the standard fee schedule for night and weekend services, when pediatric care gaps frequently occur. It also proposed expanding the deployment of emergency transport vessels and doctor helicopters to address transport gaps in island regions.
The innovation committee plans to form expert committees in three areas: strengthening regional, essential, and public health care; building a medical system for a super-aged society; and responding to future environments. It will decide the composition of the expert committee Commissioners in March and discuss 10 agenda items on a biweekly basis. Medical innovation Chairperson Jeong Gi-hyeon said, "We will come up with measures that people can feel."