Gangjin-gun, 14 New Public Health Doctors Assigned... Resolving Medical Gaps

Holding a Meeting to Explore Measures for Improving Local Public Healthcare

Gangjin-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Kang Jin-won) has newly assigned 14 public health doctors to address the local medical service gap amid the nationwide decline in the number of public health doctors.

New public health doctors are talking with senior public health doctors.
[Photo by Gangjin-gun]

According to the county on the 25th, a meeting was held on the 24th with public health doctors to gather frontline opinions from health institutions and to devise measures to improve public medical services.

This meeting was organized to address the reduction in regional public medical treatment functions caused by the annual decrease in the supply of public health doctors and to establish cooperation measures for diversified health policy projects. It provided an opportunity to collect difficulties and opinions from the field.

In particular, the meeting gained significance as Governor Kang Jin-won and the 14 newly assigned public health doctors from April this year participated together.

At the meeting, Governor Kang explained the direction of the county’s health policies, including various measures to overcome low birth rates such as the nation’s largest childcare allowance payments and a health walking project using a mobile app, and urged the public health doctors to actively fulfill their role as guardians of the local residents’ health.

Gangjin-gun experienced a three-week medical service gap after 12 public health doctors were discharged last month and in early April. However, efforts were made to prevent health issues among residents in medically vulnerable areas by visiting Jeollanam-do and requesting prompt reassignment.

As a result, with the additional assignment of 14 new public health doctors, normal medical services have been in operation since the 18th. Considering the inconvenience caused by the long-term vacancy of medical doctors and regional equity, the new public health doctors were assigned to the medical department of Maryang Health Center.

Additionally, to build Gangjin as a city favorable for childbirth and child-rearing, some were also distributed to the ‘Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine’ department at the public health center.

Due to limited medical personnel resources, Daegu Health Center currently has a vacancy in the medical department; however, efforts are being made to minimize medical service gaps by substituting with Korean medicine doctors and maintaining dental services as usual.

Newly assigned public health doctor Ma Seong-yeon (Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine), who attended the meeting, said, “It was good to ask senior public health doctors about work-related questions and to build consensus. I am grateful for the opportunity to better understand the region, and I will diligently provide medical care to improve the health of local residents during my service in Gangjin.”

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