Plastic surgery, plastic surgery, plastic surgery… As emergency medicine specialists leave emergency rooms and open clinics in fields such as aesthetic medicine, private hospitals gather in a building in the area of Sinsa Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 23rd. Reporter Yoon Sung-ho,
,
, Distorted distribution of medical resources due to the exodus of emergency medicine specialists,
,
,
,
,
, ‘Six years ago, Mr. A became a specialist in emergency medicine and left the emergency room last year. He decided to leave because working long hours at night without much compensation and constantly being exposed to legal risks from civil and criminal lawsuits made him dissatisfied with his working environment. Currently, Mr. A performs procedures such as skin beautification at a clinic opened by a senior of his in emergency medicine. He said, “In recent years, many emergency medicine specialists have left the emergency room, and younger specialists, in particular, are considering opening clinics rather than working in the ER.”‘
,
, ‘According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service on the 23rd, the number of clinics set up by emergency medicine specialists increased by about 29% from 149 as of December 2022 to 192 as of July 2024. It is estimated that about 30% of emergency medicine specialists, out of approximately 150 graduating annually, are heading towards opening clinics instead of working in the emergency room. As essential medical personnel who have completed a 10-year education program are leaving in large numbers to open clinics, there is an urgent need for systemic improvements due to the distortion in the distribution of medical resources and the significant societal loss.’
,
, ‘Until now, essential medical professionals including emergency medicine specialists have tended to choose opening clinics less often than other medical specialties due to the nature of treating emergencies and severe illnesses. However, recently there has been a sharp increase in essential medical professionals such as emergency medicine specialists and cardiovascular thoracic surgeons opening clinics in areas such as skin beautification, hair loss treatment, and family medicine. It is analyzed that they have chosen to open clinics where they can easily increase profits while still grappling with complex and high-risk medical conditions. This issue is directly related to the shortage of essential medical personnel. Chairman Jo Seung-yeon of the National Association of Local Medical Centers (Director of the Incheon Medical Center) said, “The exodus of emergency room doctors is intertwined with the collapse of essential medical care” and stated, “In order for emergency room doctors to revive patients classified according to severity in a timely manner, they need support from secondary medical specialties such as neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and thoracic surgery, but the reality is that there is also a shortage of doctors in these specialties.”‘
,
, ‘Within and outside the medical community, there are calls for urgent systemic improvements to prevent the exodus of essential medical professionals. One solution mentioned is the introduction of a capitation system similar to the one adopted in Germany. Germany limits the number of individual hospitals in each region by medical specialty and manages essential medical personnel through this system. Currently, Germany has more than double the number of surgical specialists per 1,000 population as in Korea (0.71 specialists), reaching 1.47 specialists. The alternative of a medical license system is also mentioned. This system requires doctors to undergo a certain period of training even after obtaining a medical license before they can open a hospital, and it has been enacted in major countries such as the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Chairman Jo stated, “If primary healthcare institutions such as hospitals and clinics in local communities fulfill their roles, there is no reason for mildly ill patients to go to the emergency room.”‘
,
,