Integrated Care System Stumbles: Home Healthcare Centers Scramble for Doctors

South Korea's ambitious integrated care system, designed to provide comprehensive support for citizens, is already encountering serious operational hurdles just two weeks after its launch. The core infrastructure, the home healthcare centers, are facing a critical shortage of essential medical personnel, including doctors and nurses. This staffing crisis is not just an inconvenience; it's actively preventing these centers from fulfilling their mandate, with some centers forced to close for extended periods due to an inability to find qualified staff.

One stark example comes from a home healthcare center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, which had to suspend operations for seven months before recently reopening with just one doctor. The center's deputy director highlighted the difficulty in finding medical professionals, citing the high starting salaries for specialists, often exceeding 200 million won annually, as a major financial burden. This situation is particularly acute in medically underserved rural areas, where the recruitment challenges are even more pronounced.

The data reveals that out of 422 designated home healthcare centers nationwide, 21 are currently non-operational due to staff resignations and ongoing recruitment efforts. This situation raises serious questions about the sustainability and effectiveness of the integrated care model if the foundational human resources are not adequately secured. Experts and lawmakers are calling for government intervention, suggesting the need for support systems to connect essential personnel and ensure the centers can operate smoothly. Furthermore, there's a concern that the integrated care services are disproportionately benefiting the elderly, with very limited outreach to younger individuals with disabilities.