[2024 National Audit] "Dispatch of Public Health Doctors to Fill Medical Gaps... Regional Medical Gaps Have Worsened"

Assemblyman Park Heeseung points out, "80% of dispatched public health doctors work in medically underserved areas"

The Ministry of Health and Welfare revealed that over 80% of public health doctors dispatched to fill the manpower gaps in university hospitals were previously working in medically underserved areas. This has raised concerns about a growing medical vacuum in rural regions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 7th, Park Heeseung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, stated at the Health and Welfare Committee’s national audit, "As public health doctors who have been protecting regional healthcare are dispatched to university hospitals, a medical crisis is escalating from the provinces."

According to Representative Park, as of the 22nd of last month, out of 132 public health doctors dispatched to major university hospitals, 109 were personnel from medically vulnerable areas. In particular, in the Jeonbuk region, the number of public health doctors with medical backgrounds has sharply decreased by 52%, from 240 in 2015 to 127 this year.

Park pointed out, "Starting with dispatches in March this year, public health doctors from outside the province have been sent to Gangnam Severance Hospital, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, and others in June and August," adding, "While claiming to support local healthcare, the dispatch of public health doctors is worsening the medical vacuum in rural areas."

In response, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong explained, "Although the public health doctor system is intended to fill regional medical gaps, due to the current withdrawal of residents from the field making essential medical care difficult, some public health doctors are being dispatched," and added, "However, to minimize regional medical gaps caused by dispatches, personnel working in island regions and emergency rooms are excluded, and priority is given to dispatching them to medical institutions within the respective local governments."

Minister Cho continued, "We are also conducting mobile medical services to prevent disruptions in treatment, and above all, we will do our best to ensure that public health doctors can engage in their original mission of minimizing regional medical gaps by facilitating the return of residents."

Representative Park also raised concerns about cases where public health doctors dispatched to emergency rooms or university hospitals return, questioning whether placing only doctors without considering the level of specialty training fails to properly fill medical gaps and further exacerbates the medical vacuum in provincial areas.

Minister Cho stated, "Public health doctors perform various tasks at the hospitals they are dispatched to, including surgical support, initial patient consultations, and emergency room assistance," and added, "It is true that if the dispatch of public health doctors continues, there are concerns about regional medical gaps. We will do our best to ensure residents return quickly and public health doctors can return to their original positions."