"More Difficult to Secure Workforce the Farther from City Center"…Average Doctor Tenure at Regional Medical Centers is 5 Years

In February, Park Namchun, Mayor of Incheon, visited Incheon Medical Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The average tenure of doctors at Gangjin Medical Center in Gangjin County, Jeollanam-do, is one year (as of 2019). Nurses, who tend to work longer, stay about two years at this hospital. The doctor recruitment rate at this hospital is only 60%, and the turnover rate reaches 44%. The average tenure of doctors at Jinan County Medical Center in Jeollabuk-do is about 2.7 years, and at Samcheok Medical Center in Gangwon-do, it is about 2.8 years. This indicates that staffing medical personnel at local medical centers far from urban areas is not easy.

According to the status of doctors and nurses at local medical centers nationwide as of last year, submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Shin Hyun-young, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, this issue is clearly revealed. Although local medical centers under each local government are considered representative public medical institutions, there are criticisms that they are not properly operated due to difficulties in staffing.

According to the survey, the average tenure of doctors at 34 local medical centers nationwide is about 5.1 years. The recruitment rate appears to be 97%, filling a significant portion of the quota, but the situation varies by medical center. While Suwon Hospital, Uijeongbu Hospital, Paju Hospital, and Icheon Hospital under Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center exceed 100%, places like Jinan and Gangjin County Medical Centers have only about 60-70%. Mokpo City Medical Center also had a doctor recruitment rate of about 60% compared to the quota.

Local medical centers established by local government ordinances across the country play a key role in public healthcare by providing essential medical facilities such as emergency rooms and intensive care units. During recent infectious disease disaster phases like the COVID-19 pandemic, they took on a significant portion of diagnostic testing and patient treatment, functioning as a medical safety net for our society. However, the fact that these local medical centers are struggling with staffing shortages is not a recent development.

Assemblywoman Shin Hyun-young stated, "There were considerable differences in the recruitment and retention of medical personnel at each local medical center, and the farther from urban areas, the more difficult it is to secure staff." She pointed out, "The government should comprehensively consider complex factors such as personnel, facilities, and finances to prepare short- and mid-to-long-term improvements so that local medical centers, which play an important role in public healthcare, can fulfill their original roles."

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