"Health Centers Without Doctors"... Widening Medical Gaps in South Jeolla

Sharp Decline in Public Health Doctors Leads to Widespread Suspension of Medical Services
Hospitals Struggle with Severe Shortage of Emergency Medical Personnel

The medical infrastructure in rural areas of South Jeolla Province is on the verge of collapse. As the number of applicants for public health doctor (gongbo-ui) positions continues to decrease each year, health centers are shutting down and even maintaining emergency rooms has become a challenge.

According to the Military Manpower Administration on October 24, the proportion of medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers instead of serving as public health doctors has surged dramatically over the past five years. While only 150 students enlisted as active-duty soldiers in 2020, the number rose to 267 in 2023, and soared to 1,363 last year.

Wando-gun Sinji Health Center struggling due to shortage of professional staff. Photo by Lee Jung-kyung

The main reason cited is that the service period for public health doctors is 37 months, more than double that of regular soldiers, who serve 18 months. In addition, unlike other alternative service personnel, the period of military training is not included in the service period for public health doctors, which has become another source of dissatisfaction.

Amid these institutional imbalances, the number of new public health doctors has rapidly declined. At one point, more than 1,600 new doctors were assigned, but by 2023, the number had dropped to 1,107. As a result, as of August last year, there were no public health doctors assigned to seven public health centers and 377 health subcenters nationwide. With the supply of medical personnel cut off, 19 health subcenters across the country were ultimately forced to suspend medical services.

The greatest impact is being felt by rural residents. There have been numerous cases where even basic medical services, such as blood pressure and diabetes management, vaccinations, and infectious disease response, are not provided in a timely manner. In particular, island regions such as Wando, Jindo, and Shinan rely on helicopter transport for emergency patients, but frequently miss the 'golden hour' due to adverse weather conditions.

Jeon Iyang, Director of Daeseong Hospital in Wando, said, "It is extremely difficult to find staff for the emergency room. When a public health doctor leaves to return to regular practice, we cannot fill the vacancy, and a gap in medical services occurs immediately. The vicious cycle of worsening medical conditions keeps repeating."

He added, "To resolve the shortage of emergency medical personnel, urgent support for wages at the national level is needed. Even night shifts are subject to many legal restrictions, and due to the burden of labor costs, the hospital as a whole is enduring deficits of hundreds of millions of won."

In response to this situation, Assemblyman Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party of Korea has stepped in to mediate. On October 23, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Health and Welfare in Sejong City, arranged by Assemblyman Park, bringing together hospital representatives from medically underserved areas such as Wando and Jindo and officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Five hospital representatives from the National Association of Hospitals in Medically Underserved Areas, including Wando Daeseong Hospital, Jindo Korea Hospital, Shinan Daewoo Hospital, and Uiseong Yeongnam Jeil Hospital, attended to discuss issues such as the difficulties of operating emergency rooms, support for regional hub medical institutions, and ways to improve integrated care programs.

Assemblyman Park stated, "I have continuously urged solutions to the problems facing medically underserved areas through discussions between the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. I will do my utmost to prepare concrete policy alternatives that reflect the voices from the field."

The gap in local medical care is widening at the front lines. Without institutional reform and practical support from the government, there is growing concern that the reality of 'health centers without doctors' in rural areas will become the norm rather than the exception.