National university hospitals, crucial for regional emergency and critical care, are experiencing significant service gaps due to prolonged conflicts between the government and medical professionals. With 40% of hospital beds unoccupied and annual surgical procedures dropping by tens of thousands, there are urgent calls for the government to implement effective support measures to prevent the collapse of essential medical services.
On October 6, data submitted to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee by Democratic Party lawmaker Seo Mi-hwa revealed that the average bed occupancy rate at nine regional national university hospitals plummeted from 73.6% in 2023 to 56.4% in 2024, remaining stagnant at 56.4% in 2025.
In response to the ongoing conflicts, regional national university hospitals declared emergency management measures, but these efforts have not been sufficient to recover the diminished patient volume. The average bed occupancy rate has dropped by 17.3 percentage points compared to 2023, leaving more than four out of ten beds empty.
Specific hospitals have shown marked declines. Chungbuk National University Hospital saw the largest drop, with its occupancy rate falling from 77.2% in 2023 to 47.4% in 2025, a decrease of 29.8 percentage points. Other significant declines were noted at Gyeongsang National University Hospital (-22.5 percentage points), Kyungpook National University Hospital (-20.4 percentage points), Jeonnam National University Hospital (-19.3 percentage points), and Gangwon National University Hospital (-17.0 percentage points). Among the nine national university hospitals, only Jeju National University Hospital maintained a bed occupancy rate above 70% in 2025, at 72.0%.
In addition to bed occupancy rates, the normalization of surgical capacity is progressing slowly. The total number of surgeries performed at ten national university hospitals, including Seoul National University Hospital, plummeted from 193,213 in 2023 to 128,231 in 2024, a 33.6% decrease.
Although the number of surgeries rebounded slightly to 145,810 in 2025 as the conflicts began to ease, this figure still represents a 24.5% decline (approximately 47,400 fewer surgeries) compared to 2023. As of June 30, 2026, the number of surgeries stood at 89,804, indicating that a full recovery remains unlikely.
The prolonged decline in the medical capabilities of national university hospitals, which serve as key public healthcare institutions for critical and emergency care, has raised concerns. Notably, since August of this year, the oversight of national university hospitals has shifted from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, increasing the demand for proactive involvement from the latter.
Earlier in June, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a comprehensive plan to enhance the functions of national university hospitals in terms of medical care, research, education, and public policy, aiming to strengthen their capacity for critical essential medical services.
Seo Mi-hwa emphasized, "We must quickly restore the medical capabilities of national university hospitals, which have been weakened by conflicts and gaps in regional healthcare. The Ministry of Health and Welfare needs to expedite practical support measures, such as increasing personnel and strengthening medical infrastructure, to ensure that national university hospitals can fulfill their role as essential public healthcare institutions in their regions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.