[Inside Chodong] Pediatric Care Is Collapsing... Drastic Measures Are Needed

It was around this time last year. On a Sunday early morning, my child's fever rose to 39 degrees Celsius. Early in the morning, I rushed to SoHwa Children's Hospital near Seoul Station. Even before the hospital doors opened, the waiting number was 61. The hospital was packed with parents waiting for their turn. After waiting for 4 hours in the car with my child struggling with a high fever, we finally received medical care. Still, SoHwa Hospital, with pediatricians on standby 365 days a year, was a savior for parents.

Unfortunately, SoHwa Hospital temporarily suspended holiday medical services starting last month. More hospitals are either shutting down pediatric emergency rooms at night or reducing their operating hours. Nearly 80% of hospitals are operating emergency rooms on a reduced scale. Last year, Gangnam Severance Hospital stopped night-time pediatric emergency services. Ewha Mokdong Hospital no longer accepts pediatric emergency patients unless they are trauma cases. Dongtan Seongsim Hospital emergency room has ceased pediatric and adolescent care due to a shortage of pediatricians. According to data from the Korean Pediatric Society, the number of pediatric residents dropped from 791 in 2013 to 349 last year, a 44% decrease. When recruiting residents in the first half of this year, 38 out of 50 university hospitals nationwide failed to secure even a single pediatric resident. The application rate for pediatric residency fell from 80% in 2019, 74% in 2020, to 38% in 2021, and further down to 27.5% in 2022. The number of pediatric clinics and hospitals is also decreasing. As of last year, there were 456 pediatric clinics and hospitals in Seoul, a 12% decrease over the past five years.

The shortage of pediatric specialists and residents is even more severe outside the metropolitan area. Local medical staff lament that "the pediatric care system is on the brink of collapse." Professor Baek Hee-jo of the Department of Pediatrics at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital said, "There are no residents, so two professors take turns covering on-call duties," adding, "The remaining doctors are under increased workload and face a high risk of staff attrition."

Why are the number of pediatricians decreasing? The biggest reason is that it is not financially rewarding. Pediatricians earn the lowest salaries compared to other specialties. Their average annual salary is less than half of the average salary across specialties (254.41 million KRW). Due to low birth rates, the number of patients is decreasing, and most medical fees are paid by the National Health Insurance Service based on fixed prices. Hospitals usually increase revenue through 'non-reimbursable' items where prices are set arbitrarily. Pediatrics finds it difficult to achieve such profitability.

If this continues, the collapse of pediatric medical care is only a matter of time. Due to the shortage of doctors, pediatric patients in critical condition may miss the golden hour and lose their lives. The government has first introduced measures to strengthen the system for severely ill children. Starting next year, five regional pediatric cancer centers will be developed nationwide to ensure proper treatment locally. They will recruit staff and form dedicated pediatric cancer care teams in cooperation with surrounding hospitals. There are also plans to increase medical school quotas to reinforce medical personnel. However, this is insufficient. Korea’s medical situation is dire and cannot be praised as a ‘medical advanced country.’ To change the reality where doctors flock to high-profit fields, more effective and robust measures are needed. Medical fees must be adjusted to reflect reality, and the compensation system for essential care physicians must be properly restructured. Policies must be established to save patients who can be saved.

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