Recently, regional public health centers have often been perceived primarily as places offering smoking cessation clinic services. The photo shows the smoking cessation clinic installed at the Southern Integrated Public Health Branch of Sejong City Public Health Center. (Photo courtesy of Sejong City)
SEOUL, Aug. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of doctors working at South Korea’s public health centers and branch facilities has plummeted by more than 40% over the past decade, raising red flags about the country’s ability to ensure basic medical access in rural areas.
According to data released on August 17 by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of physicians (excluding dentists and traditional medicine practitioners) working at public health centers, subcenters, and clinics nationwide dropped to 1,400 in 2024 from 2,386 in 2014 — a 41.3% decline. The figure also marks a steep 15.7% year-over-year fall from 1,660 in 2023.
The sharpest contraction occurred at smaller-scale facilities: the number of doctors at rural health subcenters and local clinics shrank 45.7% over the decade, while health centers saw a 34.8% drop.
Rural Health at Risk
This trend is particularly concerning for farming and fishing villages that rely heavily on public health institutions due to a shortage of private hospitals. As of late 2024, there were 1,337 health subcenters and 1,895 local clinics across the country, many of which operate in underserved areas without physicians.
Experts attribute the decline to a combination of factors: lower pay and less attractive working conditions compared to the private sector, the decline in public health doctors fulfilling mandatory military service, and worsening living standards in remote areas.
In 2020, Seoul’s Jung-gu Public Health Center served as a COVID-19 screening clinic
Public Health Doctors in Steep Decline
South Korea’s public health doctor system allows male medical, dental, and traditional medicine graduates to fulfill their military obligation by working in public healthcare roles for three years. But participation has been dwindling.
At health centers alone, the number of public health doctors fell 29.1% from 955 in 2014 to 677 in 2024. Among them, medical doctors dropped by more than half — from 525 to 239. By contrast, the number of public-service dentists rose 39.7%, and traditional medicine doctors saw a 26.4% decrease.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare cited a rising share of women in medical schools and growing preference among male students to serve as active-duty soldiers, as public health service requires a longer three-year term compared to the 18-month active-duty stint.
In response, the ministry is in talks with the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration to shorten public health service terms and improve salary schemes to retain talent.
These days, local public health centers are often perceived mainly as providers of smoking cessation clinic services.
Dentists and Traditional Medicine Practitioners on the Rise
Interestingly, the overall number of dentists and traditional medicine doctors at public health facilities has grown. In 2024, there were 545 dentists, up 31.6% from 414 in 2014, and 967 traditional medicine doctors, a 5.5% increase from a decade prior.
A Public Health Crisis in the Making?
Observers warn that if left unaddressed, the continued drop in medical doctors at public facilities could severely erode healthcare access in rural South Korea — where populations are rapidly aging and alternatives remain scarce.
The government faces growing pressure to enact urgent reforms to attract and retain medical professionals in public service, or risk deepening healthcare disparities between urban and rural populations.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
