Public health clinics losing doctors as service terms end

 

Medical staff from the Cheongyang County Health and Medical Center in South Chungcheong visit a community where a local health subcenter suspended operations due to a shortage of public health physicians, providing mobile medical services last year. [SHIN JIN-HO]

 
A growing number of public health centers in rural Korea are facing the prospect of operating without doctors as many public health physicians complete their mandatory service and leave their posts. The development is raising concerns about widening medical gaps in vulnerable regions.
 
Public health physicians, who serve in medically underserved areas in place of military duty, have long been a crucial workforce at local health centers and branch clinics that struggle to recruit regular doctors. Many of the physicians assigned in 2023 are scheduled to finish their 36-month mandatory service next month and depart.
 
However, there are far too few new physicians ready to replace them. In some areas doctors approaching the end of their service have already begun taking accumulated leave, leaving health centers and sub-centers temporarily without medical staff. As a result patients in remote communities, where medical resources are already limited, may find it even harder to see a doctor or receive timely treatment.
 
The imbalance in the supply of public health physicians and the resulting medical gap have been predicted for several years. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and other authorities have failed to implement effective countermeasures despite repeated warnings.
 
One major reason is the changing choices made by male medical students who must fulfill military obligations. Increasingly many choose to enlist as active duty soldiers during their studies rather than apply for public health service after graduation.
 

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The length of service is widely cited as a key factor. Public health physicians must serve for 36 months, double the 18-month term required of regular soldiers. For medical students, this longer commitment can be a significant burden when compared with the shorter period of active duty service.
 
The Health Ministry has suggested that the service period could be gradually shortened. The Ministry of National Defense, however, has taken a cautious stance, saying the issue must be considered alongside other military service programs such as officer candidates and military legal officers.
 
Meanwhile the number of applicants for public health physician posts has continued to decline each year, worsening concerns about future shortages.
 
The government and local authorities must urgently prepare supplementary measures including securing substitute medical personnel. A regional physician program scheduled to begin with next year’s university admissions could eventually help ease shortages of medical resources in underserved areas.
 
Yet the first graduates from the program will not emerge until 2033, meaning it will offer no immediate relief.
 
For patients living in vulnerable regions the problem is already pressing. Authorities must quickly devise realistic and practical alternatives to minimize disruptions in access to medical care and prevent widening regional disparities in healthcare services.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.