Local healthcare 'Red Light', 45.6% of public health non-deployed health centers
Oct 07, 2024
|
Medical gaps are deepening as public health clinics are not deployed in time at public health centers and health centers, especially as the non-deployment rate increases significantly, which seems to limit local residents' access to medical care.
According to Seo Young-seok (Democratic Party of Korea, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do), a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, public health doctors were not assigned to nine of the 138 public health centers nationwide as of June 2024.
The bigger problem is that no public health doctors were deployed at 558 public health centers, or 45.6% of the 1223 public health centers nationwide.
This is an increase of 18%p (221 locations) from 27.6% (337 out of 1220) in 2023. By city and province, the region with the highest proportion of unarranged health centers in public information is Chungbuk, which recorded 58.5%. It is followed by Gyeonggi (58.1%), Sejong (55.6%), Jeonbuk (53.1%) and Chungnam (53.0%).
Chungbuk and Jeonnam increased 39 places in 2024 compared to 2023, with the largest increase in the number of unarranged health centers in public information. It was followed by Gyeongbuk (+32), Gyeonggi and Jeonbuk (+26), and Gyeongnam (+24). The increase in the non-deployment rate was the largest in the economy at 29.2%.
Meanwhile, the number of patients treated at health centers decreased in 2024 compared to 2023 in line with the increase in unplaced health centers in the public information. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, between January and July 2024, the number of people treated at health centers was 542,729, down 35,824 from 578,553 in 2023.
Representative Seo Young-seok said, `Even the health center, the last bastion of local medical care, is on alert due to the Yoon Suk Yeol government's medical crisis,' adding, `The decrease in the number of public information is the cause, but excessive dispatch of public information, which could be the only medical provider in a vulnerable area, is a deliberate violation of the health rights of local residents", he pointed out.
As the dispatch of public information continues, the risk of chronic disease management and emergency medical services becoming impossible in aging areas is growing, the government responsible for state administration should come up with alternatives" he urged.
|
bellho@sportschosun.com
