7 out of 10 Public Medical Centers Face 'Doctor Shortage'... Nurses Are Severely Lacking

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] More than two-thirds of the 35 public medical centers nationwide, established to guarantee universal access to healthcare regardless of region or social class, are suffering from a shortage of doctors and nurses.

On the 1st, Choi Hye-young, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee (Democratic Party), analyzed data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Medical Center. As of August this year, out of the 1,302 doctor positions at the 35 public medical centers, only 1,228 were filled, leaving a shortage of 74 doctors.

Among the 35 public medical centers, 26 (74.2%) were experiencing doctor shortages, with these 26 centers collectively lacking 127 doctors.

The shortage of doctors was not only found in regional medical centers located in Gangwon (-11), Chungbuk (-5), Chungnam (-14), Jeonnam (-15), Gyeongbuk (-8), Gyeongnam (-4), and Jeju (-4), but also in metropolitan medical centers in Seoul (-36), Busan (-6), Daegu (-8), and Incheon (-1).

In particular, Seosan Medical Center and Hongseong Medical Center in Chungnam have had vacancies for more than 36 months.

The shortage of nurses was also severe. As of last year, the total nurse positions at the 35 public medical centers were 6,517, but only 5,613 were filled, resulting in a shortage of 904 nurses. Thirty-four out of the 35 public medical centers were experiencing nurse shortages.

Representative Choi pointed out, "Although the state and local governments have established and operate public medical centers to guarantee universal access to healthcare, most public medical centers are unable to fill doctor and nurse positions, making it difficult to ensure universal healthcare access."

She added, "To solve this problem, it is necessary to implement measures such as the 'Regional Doctor System,' which requires medical graduates to serve in local areas for a certain period after graduation. However, due to opposition from the medical community against expanding medical school quotas, valuable time is being wasted. The government and the medical community should urgently discuss health and medical policies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.