83% of New General Practitioner Clinics
Report "Dermatology" as a Specialty
Concentration in Seoul, Especially Gangnam and Seocho
Concerns Over Widening Gap in Essential Medical Services
This year, 83% of general practitioners who opened local clinics reported "dermatology" as one of their medical specialties.
According to data received on September 7 from the office of Assemblywoman Jeon Jinsook, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, a total of 176 new clinics were opened by general practitioners from January to July this year. This represents a 36.4% increase compared to the same period last year, when 129 clinics were opened.
A general practitioner refers to a doctor who has obtained a medical license after passing the national medical examination but has not completed a residency program. After obtaining a medical license, doctors who complete internship and residency training and pass the relevant exams become specialists in specific fields.
The number of clinics opened by general practitioners has been on the rise since February last year, following conflicts between the medical community and the government. The number of clinics established by general practitioners increased significantly from 193 in 2022 and 178 in 2023 to 285 last year. It is estimated that some of the residents who resigned in protest against the increase in medical school admissions last year may have opened clinics as general practitioners without completing their training. Although the number of residents has recovered to 76.2% of pre-resignation levels as many returned through recruitment in the second half of this year, some who have not returned may still remain in private practice.
General practitioners, who do not have a medical specialty, report their medical fields based on the facilities and equipment available when opening a clinic. There is no limit to the number of specialties that can be reported. The 176 clinics opened by general practitioners this year reported a total of 421 specialties, averaging 2.4 per clinic. Among these, dermatology was the most frequently reported, with 146 cases. This means that 83% of all 176 clinics included dermatology as a specialty. This was followed by plastic surgery (49 cases), family medicine (42 cases), internal medicine (33 cases), and orthopedics (30 cases).
Dermatology, which includes many non-insurance-covered procedures such as cosmetic treatments, is relatively high-income and carries fewer legal risks. As a result, not only general practitioners but also specialists in other fields are increasingly opening general clinics and offering dermatology services instead of opening specialty clinics that reflect their own fields.
Meanwhile, 7 out of 10 clinics opened by general practitioners this year are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area. There were 72 in Seoul (40.9%), 39 in Gyeonggi Province (22.2%), and 12 in Incheon (6.8%). In particular, 21.6% of all clinics were clustered in Gangnam-gu (28 clinics) and Seocho-gu (10 clinics) in Seoul.
Assemblywoman Jeon Jinsook stated, "Polarization is deepening as residents return mainly to popular specialties, and the newly established general clinics are also showing a concentration in popular fields," adding, "Measures are needed to prevent gaps in essential medical services."
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