Average Age of Surgical and Thoracic Surgery Specialists is 53... Over 30% Are Aged 60 or Older

Assemblyman Park Heeseung, Severe Aging and Regional Disparities Among Thoracic Surgeons
Only 0.02 Thoracic Surgery Specialists per 1,000 People

With a severe shortage of personnel in so-called 'avoided departments' such as Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Cardiovascular Thoracic Surgery (Thoracic Surgery), it has been revealed that the average age of specialists in these fields all exceed 50 years. The aging of specialists is even more serious depending on the region, with the average age of 11 neurosurgeons in Sejong City being 60.1 years.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Park Heeseung, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, as of the end of August 2024, there were a total of 6,716 surgical specialists, 3,160 neurosurgical specialists, and 1,191 thoracic surgical specialists working in medical institutions nationwide.

In South Korea, there are only 0.13 surgical specialists, 0.06 neurosurgical specialists, and 0.02 thoracic surgical specialists per 1,000 people.

The average age of specialists was 53.2 years for surgery, 50.8 years for neurosurgery, and 53.3 years for thoracic surgery, all exceeding their 50s.

Among these specialists, those under 30 years old numbered only 18 in surgery, 3 in neurosurgery, and 1 in thoracic surgery. Expanding the range, those in their 30s or younger accounted for 910 surgical specialists, representing 13.8% of all specialists; 511 neurosurgical specialists, or 16.3%; and 153 thoracic surgical specialists, or 12.9%.

On the other hand, specialists aged 60 or older accounted for 2,076 in surgery (30.9%), 722 in neurosurgery (22.9%), and 387 in thoracic surgery (32.5%).

The aging of specialists was more severe in rural areas. The average age of surgical specialists was highest in Gyeongbuk at 58.1 years, neurosurgery in Sejong at 60.1 years, and thoracic surgery in Jeju at 58.1 years. Conversely, the region with the lowest average age of specialists in all three departments was Seoul, with surgery at 49.1 years, neurosurgery at 48.7 years, and thoracic surgery at 49.8 years, showing a difference ranging from 8.3 to 11.4 years compared to the regions with the highest average age.

Looking at the number of specialists in surgery, neurosurgery, and thoracic surgery by region, most areas nationwide except Seoul and some metropolitan cities fell below the national average. In particular, Sejong had the lowest number of specialists per 1,000 people: 0.06 for surgery, 0.03 for neurosurgery, and 0.01 for thoracic surgery.

Assemblyman Park emphasized, "The proportion of specialists in their 30s among surgery, thoracic surgery, and neurosurgery specialists not even reaching half of those in their 60s is a serious problem considering the future expansion of medical demand due to aging," adding, "Since the shortage and aging of essential medical personnel in rural areas are severe, urgent measures such as the introduction of public medical schools and regional doctor systems are needed."