The National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee revealed the dire state of public healthcare during an audit of 17 public institutions under the Ministry of Health and Welfare on October 20. Despite significant funding for facility expansions at the National Cancer Center, many nurses are opting out of positions, and the government's minimal budget increase for essential regional hospitals has drawn sharp criticism.
During the audit, lawmakers, including Park Yong-gap of the Democratic Party and Lee Man-hee, the committee chair, criticized the government's inadequate support for public healthcare infrastructure.
"What’s the point of remodeling with huge budgets?" – 65.8% of Nurses at Cancer Center Decline Positions
Park Yong-gap highlighted the severe staffing shortages at the National Cancer Center and the complacency of its leadership. He noted, "The National Cancer Center has remodeled its facilities at great expense and added 39 beds, yet 217 out of approximately 300 newly qualified nurses have declined to take up their positions, resulting in a 65.8% refusal rate. Have you properly analyzed why so many are opting out after passing a difficult exam?"
Yang Han-gwang, director of the National Cancer Center, explained, "All admitted patients are cancer patients, which increases the workload significantly. Additionally, due to salary regulations tied to total personnel costs, our salaries are over 10 million won less than those at other hospitals, leading to high turnover rates."
In response, Park urged the director to focus on improving working conditions in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, rather than just attending overseas trips. He also called for a comprehensive plan to distribute proton and heavy ion therapy centers, currently concentrated in the capital region, to alleviate the burdens faced by cancer patients in rural areas, who often find transportation and caregiving costs exceed treatment expenses.
"A 3% Budget Increase for Public Healthcare?" – Lee Man-hee Critiques Health Ministry's 'Wordplay'
Lee Man-hee strongly criticized the Health Ministry's inconsistent public healthcare policies and budget allocations. He pointed out to Kwak Soon-hun, director of health policy, and Lee Joong-kyu, director of public healthcare policy, that despite the government's promise to strengthen essential public healthcare in regions, the budget increase for the key project supporting 35 local medical centers and six Red Cross hospitals was only around 3%.
Lee remarked, "Given that the overall budget for the Ministry increased by about 9%, this is an absurdly low figure. Strengthening essential public healthcare without financial backing is merely wordplay."
Concerns about fire hazards at the National Cancer Center were also raised. Lee questioned whether the center was aware of the fire risks due to faulty electrical panels, stating, "How can we talk about strengthening public healthcare when the director of public healthcare is unaware of basic facility risks?" He demanded that safety measures for medical staff and plans to address deficits at key hospitals be reported before the comprehensive audit.
Additionally, issues regarding the fluctuating costs of tuberculosis screenings and budget cuts were highlighted. Lee urged immediate review of the inconsistent screening costs, which range from 25,000 to 50,000 won depending on the region, and called for an increase in screening scale and budget in light of the serious tuberculosis incidence and mortality rates in South Korea, which rank among the highest in OECD countries.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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