Patients wait to see doctors at Pusan National University Hospital in South Korea’s southeastern port city of Busan on Aug. 7, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — The government is taking action to address the crisis in the country’s healthcare system for children, which has been pushed to the brink of collapse.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Wednesday a series of measures aimed at improving the pediatric healthcare system, including the expansion of public medical centers for severely ill children, increased compensation for pediatric treatment, the establishment of an additional pediatric emergency medical center, and the development of regional-based hospitals for pediatric cancer.
To address the shortage of doctors specializing in pediatric care, the government is also planning to pilot a pediatric counseling center where medical personnel will provide 24-hour telephone counseling on sudden symptoms experienced by children.
This counseling service will offer simple treatment and refer parents to appropriate medical institutions for further treatment.
However, the measures announced by the government only contain theoretical content for promoting the expansion of medical personnel, and fundamental measures such as increasing the number of medical institutions or the establishment of a public medical school are missing.
The crisis in healthcare for children has been caused by a decrease in demand for pediatric medical care due to low birth rates, and the phenomenon of doctors preferring to specialize in more popular medical treatments.
The total fertility rate fell from 1.3 in 2012 to 0.7 in 2021, decreasing demand for pediatric care.
A doctor walks at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital on Aug. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
Additionally, profits at pediatric hospitals have fallen relative to other departments due to a rash of patients unable to pay their bills.
As a result, interest in pediatrics among medical residents is decreasing day by day, with 76 percent of the 50 university hospitals with pediatric and adolescent residency recruitment capacity failing to secure a single resident.
To address the shortage of doctors and hospitals for pediatric care, parents are resorting to non-face-to-face treatment platforms, where they can consult online and receive prescriptions.
The proportion of children and adolescents among all non-face-to-face treatment subjects has increased by an average of 24.8 percent every month over the past three months, according to DoctorNow, which operates a non-face-to-face treatment service.
The government’s measures aim to expand the pediatric healthcare system so that children can receive proper treatment during instances of severe illness and emergencies.
However, fundamental measures to increase the number of medical institutions and medical personnel specializing in pediatric care are still missing, and the crisis in child care is expected to persist unless more fundamental solutions are implemented.
Jerry M. Kim (jerry_kim@koreabizwire.com)
