Meeting between Ministry of Health and Hospitals: "Regional Small and Medium Hospitals Unable to Recruit Essential Medical Staff"

On the morning of the 8th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a hospital sector meeting on the 9th floor conference room of the Government Seoul Office Building to discuss innovation in regional and essential medical care. The meeting was organized to gather diverse opinions from the hospital sector, which plays a pivotal role in providing essential medical services such as emergency and critical patient care. The event was attended by 13 representatives from six hospital organizations categorized by profession and hospital characteristics, including the Korea Hospital Association. Attendees included Yoon Dong-seop, President of the Korea Hospital Association (Dean of Yonsei University Medical Center); Lee Sung-kyu, President of the Korea Association of Small and Medium Hospitals (Chairman of Dong Gunsan Hospital); Lee Sang-duk, President of the Korea Association of Specialized Hospitals (Director of Hana Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital); Yoon Eul-sik, President of the Korea Association of Private University Hospitals (Dean of Korea University Medical Center); and Oh Joo-hyung, Chairman of the Council of Tertiary General Hospitals (Director of Kyung Hee University Hospital).

First, Lee Sung-kyu, President of the Korea Association of Small and Medium Hospitals, voiced the difficulties faced by small and medium hospitals responsible for essential medical care in regional areas. President Lee stated, "Since COVID-19, doctors' wages have increased, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to hire doctors in the critical and emergency essential medical fields, especially in regional small and medium hospitals. There must be measures to address the situation where essential medical personnel are leaving for private clinics and the shortage of essential medical staff to the extent that they cannot handle the patient volume, in order to save regional hospitals." Participants agreed that to ensure patients requiring essential medical services such as critical and emergency care receive timely treatment near their residence, it is necessary to secure excellent personnel with essential medical capabilities in each region. In particular, considering that regional universities have a high local settlement rate of graduates from the area (65%), there was a call to prepare measures accordingly.

There was also an argument that policies to expand the medical workforce require careful preparation and management to prevent overburdening medical education sites and deterioration in the quality of education and training. This is a prerequisite to ensure that the expanded medical workforce can acquire sufficient capabilities and actively work in essential medical fields. Yoon Dong-seop, President of the Korea Hospital Association, said, "While we agree on the need to expand the medical workforce, the quality of education must be guaranteed first, and the medical delivery system must be improved so that well-trained doctors can work in essential medical fields."

There was also discussion about the need for fundamental innovation in the medical service supply system. Regarding the essential medical policy package currently being prepared by the government, there was a request to devise feasible measures that can bring about practical changes in the medical field.

The government and the hospital sector agreed to strengthen mutual communication and cooperation to overcome the crisis in essential and regional medical care, using this meeting as a starting point. Oh Joo-hyung, Chairman of the Council of Tertiary General Hospitals, stated, "The shortage of doctors is spreading across all medical departments and even metropolitan university hospitals, and there is a strong awareness of this issue within the medical community." He added, "However, since there was social conflict when the increase was pursued in 2020, we hope to communicate closely with the medical field this time."

Regarding the meeting, Lee Kwan-seop, Senior Secretary for National Planning, said, "The current crisis in health care is not only a problem of essential and regional medical care but stems from a general shortage of doctors across all fields." He added, "We will resolve the specific problems experienced in hospitals, such as recruitment difficulties, one by one."

Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "We hope to review the accumulated problems in the medical field together and that the hospital sector will actively participate in innovating the medical system for future generations."

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