Ulsan's medical vacuum deepens as health centers struggle to find doctors

Ulsan, South Korea's only metropolitan city without a public hospital, is grappling with a severe medical vacuum as its public health centers face a critical shortage of doctors. The situation is so dire that one health center is considering suspending vaccination services and referring patients to private clinics if a vacant physician position cannot be filled soon.

The Nam-gu Health Center is currently undergoing a recruitment process for a physician, a position that has been vacant since late last month. This center normally has two doctors handling consultations and vaccinations, but with one position empty, the remaining doctor is shouldering both responsibilities, forcing a reduction in vaccination hours from full-day to mornings only.

The Dong-gu Health Center experienced a more than two-month gap in medical services from February 23 to April 30 due to a complete lack of physicians. They managed to hire one doctor only after changing the employment type to a fixed-term contract, slightly increasing wages, and reducing operating hours. However, they are still on their fifth recruitment notice for the second physician, with no applicants so far.

In Ulsan-gun, the health center has abandoned its recruitment efforts altogether, opting instead for a "contract doctor" system where a self-employed physician is hired on a contract basis for approximately 150 million won annually, about 50 million won more than the previous salary. The newly established Gun-lip Ulju Hospital, intended to address the medical gap in the southern part of Ulju-gun, is also facing a doctor shortage, having secured only 7 of the planned 12 physicians across 8 departments, with specialists in neurology, orthopedics, and emergency medicine still needed. The hospital's opening has already been delayed to mid-next month.

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If the gap is prolonged, we may have to consider suspending vaccination services and referring patients to private hospitals.