Chronic Deficit 'Dalbit Children's Hospital', Support Budget Doubled Next Year

Ministry of Health and Welfare to Increase Additional Support from 4.7 Billion Won This Year to 9.6 Billion Won by 2025

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has begun preparing measures to support the 'Dalbit Children's Hospital,' which is struggling with chronic deficits.

Around 6 p.m. on the 18th of last month, the outpatient waiting room at Gimpo Ijeil Hospital in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do, which operates Dalbit Children's Hospital, was crowded with about 40 patients and guardians. Photo by Choi Tae-won

An official from the Ministry's Emergency Medical Services Department stated in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 5th, "We have started discussions at the working-level regarding the designation of Dalbit Children's Hospitals and the expansion of support for individual hospitals." The official added, "The related budget has more than doubled from 4.65 billion KRW this year to about 9.59 billion KRW next year. Support could be expanded as early as the first half of next year."

Dalbit Children's Hospital is a public late-night pediatric hospital where mild pediatric patients under 18 years old can receive medical services during weekday nights, weekends, and public holidays. It was introduced to prevent relatively mild symptom patients, such as those with sudden fever or vomiting, from crowding into pediatric emergency rooms of general hospitals during hours when regular clinics are closed, thereby ensuring that critical care for severe patients is not disrupted. The number of Dalbit Children's Hospitals has increased from 8 at its inception in 2014 to 31 in 2022, 57 last year, and 95 this year.

However, most pediatric and adolescent hospitals operating Dalbit Children's Hospitals are experiencing financial difficulties. According to the Korean Pediatric and Adolescent Hospital Association, one Dalbit Children's Hospital in Gyeonggi Province spends about 64 million KRW monthly on labor costs alone, but the total Dalbit fee received for treating approximately 40 patients on weekday nights and 100 patients on weekends amounts to only 28.5 million KRW. Considering the total patient treatment fees outside of the Dalbit fee, which is about 24 million KRW, the hospital incurs a monthly loss of 12 million KRW.

Promised subsidies have also not been properly paid. The government initially announced that national subsidies would be provided twice a year, in the first and second halves. However, among eight Dalbit Children's Hospitals recently checked by the Korean Pediatric and Adolescent Hospital Association, only two received national subsidies. Three hospitals received no subsidies at all, and three received only partial payments.

A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "There was a shortage of budget because many Dalbit Children's Hospitals were newly designated this year," adding, "We will ensure that there is no disruption in nighttime pediatric patient care through additional support."

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