Gwangju City to Systematically Manage Surplus Hospital Beds

Oversupply of General, Long-term Care, and Korean Medicine Hospital Beds by 2027
Regional Customized Measures Begin Next Month
Restrictions on New or Expanded Beds Except for Essential Medical Services
Administrative Notice and Public Feedback Open Until the 29th

Gwangju City Hall exterior view.

Gwangju City will implement a systematic management plan for hospital bed supply and demand to prevent the excessive supply of beds, which leads to unnecessary medical use and rising national healthcare costs.

On the 10th, Gwangju City announced that it has established the '3rd Phase (2023-2027) Hospital Bed Supply and Management Plan,' which will be implemented starting this May. The main focus of the 3rd Phase plan is to strengthen the management of newly established and expanded hospital beds tailored to the needs of the region. This plan was established based on the 'Basic Policy for Hospital Bed Supply and Demand' announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in August 2023.

According to this plan, the city aims to manage the continuously increasing number of hospital beds according to local demand and to establish a rational hospital bed operation system. Currently, Gwangju has the highest number of general hospitals, long-term care hospitals, and Korean medicine hospitals per capita in the country. In contrast, the number of medical personnel (doctors, nurses, Korean medicine doctors) per bed is among the lowest nationwide, indicating an excessive number of beds.

Based on the city's analysis of bed supply, demand, and the difference by medical service area as of 2027, it is predicted that there will be an oversupply of 8,200 to 9,800 beds in general hospitals, 6,200 to 7,400 beds in long-term care hospitals, and 1,700 to 2,800 beds in Korean medicine hospitals.

Accordingly, the city plans to restrict the establishment and expansion of new beds for those categories expected to be oversupplied, in accordance with relevant laws and the basic policy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. While the Ministry's basic policy targets only general and long-term care beds for supply management, Gwangju has included Korean medicine hospital beds due to their excessive number in the region.

In fact, as of 2023, Gwangju had 6.1 Korean medicine hospitals per 100,000 people, which is 5.5 times higher than the national average of 1.1. Among special and metropolitan cities, Gwangju had 87 Korean medicine hospitals, surpassing Seoul's 85. This was followed by Incheon (45), Busan (26), Daegu (18), Daejeon (17), Ulsan (6), and Sejong (3). As of June 2023, Gwangju had 5,835 Korean medicine hospital beds, accounting for 16.7% of the national total (34,929 beds).

For essential medical services such as emergency, childbirth, pediatrics, and public healthcare, the city will allow new or expanded beds exceptionally, subject to review by the Medical Institution Establishment Review Committee. Since September 2023, the city has formed a Hospital Bed Supply and Management Task Force to analyze medical resources such as bed numbers, medical demand, and bed utilization rates. After consulting experts and undergoing review by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the final plan was confirmed in February. The plan will be open for public comment for 20 days until the 29th, after which the final version will be confirmed and implemented.

Jung Younghwa, Director of Welfare and Health, stated, "By implementing the hospital bed supply management plan, we will lay the foundation for providing high-quality medical services to citizens by curbing additional bed supply," and added, "We will establish a hospital bed management system that balances public interest and efficiency."

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