South Korea Suffers from Shortage of Paediatricians

 South Korea is struggling to fill pediatrician positions as the country's low birth rate and inadequate healthcare system have left hospitals unable to hire the necessary staff.

In the five years up to 2022, the number of paediatric clinics and hospitals in the capital alone decreased by 12.5%, while the number of psychiatry clinics and anesthesiology centers saw dramatic increases.

This is partially due to the insurance system failing to respond to the decline in births by adapting to the situation or providing sufficient resources, leading many doctors to believe the field has no future.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare acknowledges the limitations in the system, and has taken steps to improve the situation. Unfortunately, this has not been enough to address the problem.

In the first half of 2021, hospitals only were able to secure the services of 16.3% of the paediatricians they sought. This has led to long wait times for parents to get their children the medical treatment they need, as well as an alarming lack of emergency care.

The shortage has caused some hospitals to reduce night-time treatments and close children's emergency rooms, and even led to the oldest children's hospital, Sowha Hospital, suspending Saturday afternoon and Sunday treatments for the first time in 77 years.

The low fees paid to paediatricians, which is 57% less than the average doctor's salary, is another factor behind the shortage. In foreign countries, the government pays enough to maintain the hospital even if they only see a few patients a day.

However, in South Korea, the fee for treatment is around 10$, meaning the clinics have to see around 80 patients a day in order to sustain themselves. The low fee problem is made worse by the fact that the insurance system has not been revised to reflect the fewer child patients.

When more babies were growing up, paediatricians could sustain a low-price, high-volume model, but this is no longer the case.

The lack of resources and low pay in the field of paediatrics has led some couples to hesitate in having children, despite the government's efforts to reverse the declining birth rate. This further exacerbates the problem, and highlights the need for more action to be taken before the situation worsens.