A COVID-19 patient is loaded into an ambulance at a nursing home in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Dec. 22, 2020, to be transported to a nearby hospital. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 12 (Korea Bizwire) — A growing number of South Koreans are reluctant to go to the hospital even if they’re sick, following the coronavirus outbreak, a survey showed Sunday.
The Seoul Think Tank Alliance conducted three consecutive surveys last year of 2,483 Seoul residents.
In the first round of surveys, 13.4 percent of respondents said they did not go to a hospital despite the need for medical treatment.
In the next two surveys, 16.6 percent and 15 percent gave the same response respectively, up threefold from the 2019 survey on the health of local communities in Seoul (5.3 percent).
More than half of respondents who did not go to the hospital believed that hospitals are dangerous and voluntarily chose not to visit.
Younger people or patients with chronic diseases tended to become more reluctant to go to hospitals.
Respondents suffering from depressive symptoms increased from 38.6 percent in the first survey to 40.8 percent in the second survey and 44.2 percent in the third survey.
The share of respondents who believed that the pandemic has taken a toll on their mental health rose from 46.3 percent in the first survey to 46.9 percent in the second survey and 48.5 percent in the third survey.
The scores for the pandemic stress index hiked from 19.7 points in the first survey to 20.7 points in the second survey and 21.4 points in the third survey.
“The coronavirus is undermining the overall health of citizens,” the research team said.
“Levels of depressive symptoms and stress have jumped, and more people are experiencing emotional transition from anxiety and fear to anger and hatred over time.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
