40% Decrease in New Patient Visits at 'Big 5' Hospitals

Jeon Jin-sook "Medical Crisis, Careful Review of Impact on Public Health Needed"

Jeon Jin-sook Assembly Member

It has been revealed that the number of first-time patient consultations significantly decreased compared to the same period last year at tertiary general hospitals, where the medical system has virtually collapsed due to the departure of residents.

According to the data on ‘First and Follow-up Patient Consultations at Tertiary General Hospitals’ submitted by the National Health Insurance Service to Jeon Jin-sook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Gwangju Buk-gu Eul, the number of first-time consultations at the so-called ‘Big 5’ tertiary general hospitals?Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul Asan Hospital, Severance Hospital, and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital?decreased by 32.7%, from 980,724 cases between February and June last year to 659,865 cases during the same period this year.

The hospital with the largest decrease, Hospital A, saw a drop from 205,698 cases to 117,870 cases, a 42.7% decrease during the same period. Hospital B decreased from 180,017 cases to 108,928 cases, a 39.5% decrease; Hospital C from 182,746 cases to 111,893 cases, a 38.8% decrease; Hospital D from 116,707 cases to 73,141 cases, a 37.3% decrease; and Hospital E from 295,556 cases to 248,033 cases, a 16.1% decrease.

Among all types of medical institutions, tertiary general hospitals experienced the largest decrease in first and follow-up patient consultations compared to the same period last year. The number of first-time consultations at tertiary general hospitals dropped by 28.7%, from 3,260,854 cases between February and June last year to 2,325,081 cases during the same period this year. Follow-up consultations also decreased by 12.3%, from 17,305,041 cases to 15,172,577 cases. General hospitals saw an 11.6% decrease, from 7,627,757 cases to 6,743,824 cases. At the hospital level, first-time consultations decreased by 10.3%, from 8,099,406 cases to 7,268,649 cases, and at the clinic level, they decreased by 5.9%, from 80,982,439 cases to 76,164,649 cases.

Representative Jeon stated, “The prolonged medical crisis has caused a sharp decline in the proportion of first-time consultations at tertiary general hospitals. There is concern that severely ill patients who need timely treatment may have missed their treatment window,” and emphasized, “The government needs to carefully examine the impact on public health caused by the collapse of the medical system.”