SEOUL, Jun. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – As nearly 8 out of 10 South Koreans spend their final moments in hospitals, a new regulation set to take effect in August will require general hospitals and long-term care facilities to install dedicated “end-of-life” rooms. This move by the government aims to ensure a more dignified conclusion to life [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — A union representing hospital workers on Friday urged doctors to abandon their plan for a one-day walkout scheduled for next week, as the medical sector has been experiencing a nearly four-month-long vacuum due to physicians protesting the increase in medical school quotas. The Korea Medical Association (KMA), a major [...]
SEOUL, Jun. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Doctors at four major hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University (SNU) are set to stage a walkout from June 17, according to hospital officials on Friday, in a move that would complicate efforts by the government to resolve a protracted walkout by trainee doctors. Medical professors at the four [...]
SEOUL, May 20 (Korea Bizwire) — Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong called for junior doctors who left worksites for months to return to hospitals by Monday, while urging the medical community to resolve a protracted standoff over the government’s medical reform through dialogue. The latest appeal by Cho came as a Seoul appellate court last week [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 30 (Korea Bizwire) — Two major general hospitals in Seoul were set to suspend outpatient clinics and surgeries Tuesday, as their senior doctors began taking a weekly day off amid a protracted walkout by junior doctors in protest of the government’s medical reform. Emergency rooms and inpatient care will remain in place at [...]
SEOUL, Apr. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – In 2021, South Koreans bore an average of 960,000 won in annual out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, a significant figure that highlights the personal financial impact of accessing medical services. This data was unveiled in the “2021 Korea Health Panel Basic Analysis Report (II)” jointly released by the National Health Insurance Service [...]
SEOUL, Mar. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In an unprecedented move rippling through South Korea’s healthcare system, hospitals—including the prestigious “Big 5″ medical centers in Seoul—are grappling with a dire shortage of resident physicians by instituting unpaid leave for their staff. This drastic measure, a direct fallout from a significant decrease in patient admissions and surgical procedures, [...]
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey has revealed that caregivers employed in hospitals endure long working hours, with an average of six days per week and 17 hours per day. As caregivers provide around-the-clock patient care, they do not receive an adequate amount of rest hours. Additionally, they have reported instances of contracting [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The “Hospital Companion Service for Older Adults” (Taking Oreusin to the Hospital Service) initiative in the city of Donghae, Gangwon Province, which commenced in March of this year, has garnered widespread appreciation from both older adults, affectionately referred to as “Oreusin,” and their caregivers. The term “Oreusin” was historically [...]
SEOUL, June 15 (Korea Bizwire) — The lack of doctors in the so-called unpopular departments is becoming a major problem in South Korea, including at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), one of the country’s most prestigious medical centers. According to Rep. Kang Min-jung of the Democratic Party, SNUH had to issue 11 calls for applications [...]