[Exclusive] 'Pediatric Open Run' Worsens... 3 out of 10 Training Hospitals Have 'Zero Residents'

Among 71 training hospitals this year, 19 have no residents at all
Over half of hospitals will be affected in two years

This year, 3 out of 10 training hospitals have no pediatric and adolescent medicine residents. More than half of the hospitals lack junior residents, which is expected to worsen the so-called 'open run' situation, where patients line up from early morning to receive pediatric care.

According to the status of residents by year at training hospitals submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Lee Jong-sung, a member of the People Power Party, on the 21st, among 71 pediatric training hospitals this year, 19 hospitals (26.8%) had zero residents from 1st to 4th year. This includes one tertiary general hospital.

If recruitment of new residents fails, more than half of the hospitals will have zero pediatric residents. There are 34 hospitals with only 4th-year residents and 46 hospitals with only 3rd and 4th-year residents. If residents are not replenished for two years, 64.8% of all training hospitals will operate with 'zero residents.' In the second half of this year’s pediatric resident recruitment, only 4 out of 143 total slots were filled, resulting in a 2.8% application rate.

Residents undergo training in a specialized field after completing an internship at training hospitals or institutions. Due to low birth rates and a sharp decline in patient numbers, the number of applicants for pediatrics has decreased, leading to an increasing number of hospitals without pediatric residents each year. In 2020, only 2 hospitals had no pediatric residents, but this increased to 6 in 2021 and 2022, and 19 in 2023. Hospitals with only 4th-year residents also increased annually from 4 in 2020 to 10 in 2021, 19 in 2022, and 34 in 2023.

The shortage of residents, who mainly serve as the 'frontline staff' on duty at hospitals, is causing a medical gap in pediatrics. Gachon University Gil Medical Center, a tertiary general hospital located in Incheon, has been unable to recruit pediatric residents since 2020 and announced last year that it would temporarily suspend inpatient pediatric care.

As a solution to the shortage of pediatric residents, the government reinstated the training allowance, which had been abolished in 2016, but the medical community points out that key support measures are missing. Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced last month that it allocated 4.4 billion KRW in next year’s budget for training allowances for pediatric residents and fellows. They plan to pay pediatric residents a monthly training allowance of 1 million KRW to increase the application rate.

A notice about closure is posted at a pediatric clinic in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Korean Pediatric Society criticized the Ministry of Health and Welfare for not presenting more fundamental alternatives. The society cites low medical fees and increased civil and criminal liabilities related to medical accidents as reasons for avoiding pediatrics, demanding fee increases and the introduction of laws exempting medical accidents.

Assemblyman Lee said, "Progressive support measures that can attract young pediatricians must be prepared," and emphasized, "Bills related to alleviating the burden of medical accidents, which is a factor in avoiding essential departments such as pediatrics, are currently pending in the National Assembly, and discussions should be expedited."