[Interview] Kim Jaesik, Chairman of Gwangju Dong-gu Council: "Late-night Children's Hospital Is Urgently Needed"

No Place to Send Infants and Toddlers with High Fever and Vomiting

Hospital Operating Cost Support to Resolve Medical Gaps

Active Private Sector Participation and Budget Securing Are 'Key Tasks'

Among the five autonomous districts of Gwangju Metropolitan City, Dong-gu is the only one without a children's hospital. Parents living in Dong-gu have no choice but to endure until the next day if their child falls ill in the middle of the night or seek out children's hospitals in other districts that offer night-time care.

Nearby university hospital emergency rooms lack pediatric specialists, making proper treatment difficult to expect, forcing residents to travel long distances to places like Gwangsan-gu. This situation undermines the slogan "Dong-gu, a good place to have and raise children." Although the total fertility rate within the district (0.96 as of last year) is the highest, the related infrastructure is reportedly the poorest.

Kim Jae-sik, Chairman of Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is discussing the necessity of a late-night children's hospital.
[Photo by Park Jin-hyung]

"One night, my 6-year-old child had a high fever over 40 degrees Celsius and was crying uncontrollably, but there was no doctor in Dong-gu to see him, so we had to go all the way to Gwangsan-gu."

This is a story that Kim Jae-sik, chairman of the Dong-gu Council in Gwangju Metropolitan City, heard from a resident a long time ago. He recalled feeling heartbroken and a heavy sense of responsibility as a politician representing the residents upon hearing this.

In a recent meeting with our reporter in his office, Chairman Kim emphasized the necessity of the "Public Late-Night Children's Hospital Support Ordinance."

The public late-night children's hospital is a policy implemented by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2014, allowing pediatric patients under 18 years old to receive treatment during late-night hours or holidays.

Chairman Kim is urging the prompt enactment of a related ordinance to designate at least one hospital in Dong-gu that provides night-time care until midnight, with financial support for personnel and operating expenses.

Expanding from daytime to nighttime care would require additional medical staff, including 2 to 3 doctors and 1 nurse.

Costs will vary depending on how hospitals adjust working hours, such as two or three shifts, but a first-level hospital in Incheon receives about 60 million KRW in monthly financial support.

Chairman Kim said, "We are looking for opportunities to promote this in cooperation with Gwangju City regarding the budget, and we are also seeking cooperation from hospitals as a form of talent donation."

He added, "If the budget allows, support should be provided to operate until 2 to 3 a.m., or even 24 hours, to effectively reduce the inconvenience for pediatric patients."

Chairman Kim has recently held meetings with several hospital officials to explain the good intentions of this medical policy and urged them to participate actively with a mindset of contributing to the public rather than focusing on profits.

He stated, "Rather than hastily creating an ordinance, we are listening to voices from the field to ensure it actually works. University hospitals are not interested due to profit issues, so we are focusing on opinions from first-level hospitals."

He also noted, "In fact, pediatric and adolescent departments have fewer non-insurance treatments and lower medical fees, causing financial difficulties for hospitals. Government policies to realize medical fees must also support this."

Chairman Kim has begun assessing the status of child treatment facilities in the Gwangju area. There are 452 pediatric clinics, 11 children's hospitals, and 20 emergency medical institutions, among which children's hospitals are all located in Gwangsan-gu (4), Seo-gu (3),, Nam-gu (2), and Buk-gu (2), excluding Dong-gu.

He emphasized, "Some children's hospitals in other districts offer night-time care (until 8 or 9 p.m.), but there are no doctors available for late-night treatment, causing a medical service gap. In fact, Dong-gu does not even have a children's hospital providing night-time care, making the establishment of a public late-night children's hospital urgently necessary."

Chairman Kim stressed, "To create a city that is good for having and raising children, medical facilities, educational facilities, and convenience facilities must all be in harmony. Going forward, the district office and council must work together to expand support through budget allocation and ordinances."