Asbestos Victims in South Chungcheong Province Lack Local Respiratory Specialist

Asbestos victims in South Korea's South Chungcheong Province are facing significant challenges in accessing specialized medical care, with over 80% concentrated in the Hongseong and Boryeong regions, historically sites of major asbestos mining. These areas are home to the largest number of asbestos victims nationwide, yet the regional public hospital, Hongseong Medical Center, has no respiratory specialist.

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When I suddenly feel sick, I can't make an appointment, so I have to go to Cheonan and get examined over two days. I've been telling the governor for at least 10 years that Hongseong Medical Center needs a respiratory specialist, but nothing has changed.

Patients like Lee Nam-eok, 80, who suffers from asbestosis, must travel nearly three hours to Cheonan for treatment, despite Hongseong Medical Center being only a 50-minute public transport ride away. Lee, who was diagnosed in his mid-30s but only recognized as an asbestos victim in 2011, was exposed to asbestos from childhood as it was processed at the nearby Gwangcheon train station, which handled asbestos from Asia's largest asbestos mine.

The lack of a local specialist is particularly concerning given that asbestos-related diseases have long latency periods and require ongoing monitoring and treatment. The region has seen high mortality rates among patients with malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer. With approximately 60% of asbestos victims being elderly, the long-distance travel exacerbates their health burdens.

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There is also the fact that Cheonan Soonchunhyang University Hospital has an asbestos health and environment center, so victims seek it out more. We have demanded that the center come to Hongseong Medical Center for a long time, but it hasn't happened. At the very least, a respiratory specialist needs to be stationed at Hongseong Medical Center.

Local environmental groups have repeatedly called for a respiratory specialist to be stationed at Hongseong Medical Center. While the hospital recently hired one in October, the specialist left within three months due to personal reasons. The hospital cites a severe shortage of doctors in rural areas as the reason for ongoing difficulties in recruitment. Advocates emphasize the need for a dedicated asbestos health center in the region, but at a minimum, a full-time respiratory specialist is crucial for the well-being of the affected population.

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We have had difficulty hiring a respiratory specialist for a long time, and although we finally managed to hire one in October last year, they left due to personal reasons in less than three months. We have posted recruitment notices since the beginning of the year but have not yet hired anyone new. There is a severe shortage of doctors in rural areas.