South Korean public hospitals suspend services as doctor shortage worsens

Public hospitals across South Korea are facing a critical shortage of medical personnel, leading to the suspension of services in numerous departments. As of early July, 17 out of 35 regional public hospitals have ceased operations in at least one specialty, according to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This situation highlights a persistent problem in the nation's healthcare system, extending beyond rural areas to affect metropolitan regions as well.

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We are having difficulty providing treatment due to a lack of ophthalmologists.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center's Suwon Hospital, for instance, has been unable to find an ophthalmologist since December, despite offering salaries between 320 million and 350 million won (approximately $230,000-$250,000 USD). The hospital director noted the difficulty in attracting specialists, even with the help of headhunters, as private practices in profitable fields are highly competitive.

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Even if we offer any amount of salary through headhunters, there is no response from applicants. The regional characteristics require us to serve not only vulnerable populations but also the general residents as a public general hospital. It is regrettable that we cannot respond to patient demand due to the suspension of services.

Across the country, essential services are being disrupted. The Jinan County Medical Center in North Jeolla Province suspended its obstetrics and gynecology department in June, while Gunsan Medical Center has had its internal medicine and pulmonology departments closed since March and April, respectively. Some departments have been non-operational for over a year, including ophthalmology at Cheongju Medical Center (19 months), urology at Namwon Medical Center (17 months), and thoracic surgery at Gimcheon Medical Center (16 months).

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There is no ENT clinic in Yeongwol County, so people have to go to Jecheon or Wonju even for hearing aids. It is a department that residents desperately need, but we cannot find a doctor.

Experts attribute the ongoing crisis to a fragile foundation in specialized medical fields, where a single doctor's departure can immediately halt services. They argue that simply increasing salaries may only lead to a reshuffling of doctors between institutions without solving the core problem. Calls are growing for the government to establish a stable staffing system based on the essential functions of public hospitals, ensuring adequate personnel and support to maintain critical services.

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We have secured six emergency medicine specialists, but we are limited in providing secondary care for emergency patients due to the lack of subspecialists in cardiology, pulmonology, and endocrinology. We are an incomplete secondary hospital.