Rep. Seo Samseok: "Medically Underserved Areas Face Greater Medical Costs Than Major Cities"

Average Monthly Medical Expenses in Jeonnam Reach 267,000 Won
Over 60,000 Won Higher Than Seoul... Widening Accessibility Gap

Samseok Seo, Member of the National Assembly.

It has been found that in regions with lower medical accessibility, patients actually face a heavier financial burden for medical expenses.

Samseok Seo, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea representing Yeongam, Muan, and Shinan, stated at the Supreme Council meeting held on the 10th, "Residents in medically underserved areas are spending more on medical treatment than those in major cities like Seoul," and urged the government to establish region-specific measures to alleviate medical costs.

According to the "2024 Regional Medical Utilization Statistics" released by the National Health Insurance Service on October 31, disparities in medical utilization between cities, counties, and districts persist. The inflow rate of patients from other regions to medical institutions in Seoul exceeded 40%, and the amount spent by these patients on medical treatment in Seoul reached 10.8 trillion won.

In particular, the average monthly medical expense per person in Jeonnam was 267,000 won, about 63,000 won higher than Seoul's 204,000 won. Nevertheless, there are continued concerns that Jeonnam remains a "medical blind spot" due to insufficient medical infrastructure.

Seo pointed out, "The incidence rates of major cancers such as stomach, lung, and liver cancer are concentrated in specific regions. In particular, Jeonnam has the highest rates of liver and lung cancer nationwide," criticizing that "the entrenchment of such trends represents a failure of national healthcare policy."

He emphasized, "Health authorities should not stop at simply releasing statistics, but must strengthen region-specific systems for prevention, screening, treatment, and management." He also called for "bold fiscal investment and policy support to be included in the 2026 budget proposal to guarantee the right to health for rural residents."

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