Obstetricians: "Pregnant Women's Safety at Risk... Delivery Infrastructure Must Be Restored"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Korean Association of Obstetric Hospitals has called for the restoration of the childbirth infrastructure.

On the 4th, the Korean Association of Obstetric Hospitals held a press conference under the theme "Collapsed childbirth infrastructure, pregnant women with nowhere to go, and desperate obstetricians," stating, "Even at this moment, the safety of pregnant women and newborns in South Korea is under threat," and urged, "The government and political circles must recognize the seriousness of the problem and restore the childbirth infrastructure."

The association lamented the difficulties of essential medical fields, saying, "The number of obstetrics and gynecology specialists produced has sharply decreased over the past 10 years," and "Even those who choose obstetrics mostly work as short-term salaried doctors before switching to other fields."

The association cited "the insufficient national compensation for unavoidable childbirth accidents and the excessive damages from medical lawsuits related to childbirth accidents" as the causes of this phenomenon.

They also pointed out the reality, saying, "Currently, the number of childbirth institutions is far below the minimum required 700 to maintain a safe infrastructure."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of obstetrics and gynecology clinics providing childbirth services decreased by 34.4% over 10 years, from 706 in 2013 to 463 last year. The number of new obstetrics and gynecology specialists dropped from 177 in 2008 to 103 last year.

As of December last year, among 250 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, 72 areas either have no obstetrics and gynecology clinics or have clinics but face difficulties in providing childbirth services.

The association stated, "The greatest victims of the collapse of the childbirth infrastructure are current or future pregnant women," and argued, "The compensation law for unavoidable childbirth accidents must be completely revised so that the state bears all compensation costs."

Furthermore, they urged, "Childbirth fees should be raised to a reasonable level that allows hospitals and clinics to operate, and support for training obstetric medical personnel should be strengthened," and "The number of childbirth hospitals and clinics should be secured at an appropriate level by region."

Professor Oh Soo-young of Samsung Seoul Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who spoke at the event, emphasized, "Even if all current clinical professors work until the age of 65, by 2041, the number of professors will sharply decrease to 36% of the current number," and stressed, "Institutional support is needed to train new obstetrics professors."