The National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee conducted its first audit of national university hospitals and dental hospitals on October 8. This audit, the first since the Ministry of Health and Welfare took over oversight from the Ministry of Education, revealed the dire state of regional healthcare.
During the audit, hospital directors expressed their struggles with severe staffing shortages in essential medical fields, chronic deficits amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, and outdated infrastructure. Lawmakers criticized the poor management and lax operations of national university hospitals while urging the government to provide substantial financial support and eliminate outdated regulations.
The Health and Welfare Committee held the audit for nine national university hospitals and three national dental hospitals. Hospital directors testified about the worsening management conditions due to prolonged political deadlock and the exodus of essential medical personnel, calling for comprehensive support from the Ministry of Health and the National Assembly.
Essential Medical Staffing at Critical Low; Wage Gap Three Times Higher
The main topic of discussion was the alarming exodus of essential medical personnel. Rep. Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party noted that the recruitment rate for essential medical residents at the nine national university hospitals is only about 43%, citing a situation at Jeonbuk National University Hospital where the neonatal intensive care unit had to operate in emergency mode due to a lack of specialists.
Rep. Kim Tae-ho of the People Power Party pointed out that some hospitals have seen their recruitment of essential medical specialists drop to just 10%. Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party warned that specialists in the neonatal intensive care unit at Gyeongsang National University Hospital are working grueling schedules of up to 150 hours a week, raising concerns about patient safety.
The hospital directors identified the significant wage gap with private hospitals and rigid government regulations as the root causes of the staffing crisis. Kim Won-seop, director of Chungbuk National University Hospital, stated, "Since the political deadlock, the exodus of essential medical specialists has become severe. The pay is at least three times lower than that of private hospitals, making it impossible to retain doctors in national university hospitals."
Hwa Jeong-seok, director of Gyeongsang National University Hospital, explained that 22 to 24 specialists are needed to operate the emergency medical center 24/7, but currently, there are only two professors, and they are relying on contract doctors to fill the gaps.
In response, Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party urged for prompt reforms, stating, "Due to the salary controls imposed on other public institutions, we cannot pay competitive wages, leading to this absurd situation."
Son Young-rae, head of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Regional Essential Public Health Office, mentioned that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Economy and Finance to exempt national university hospitals from other public institution regulations by the first half of next year, allowing them to hire staff autonomously. He also indicated plans to allocate temporary budgets to support the hiring of new specialists and the salaries of existing essential personnel.
Surge in Patients Seeking Treatment in Seoul; Urgent Need for Local Cancer Centers
The issue of patients from regional areas traveling to Seoul for treatment, known as "medical tourism," was also a significant topic. Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the Democratic Party criticized that the number of patients traveling to Seoul for treatment or surgery has reached one million annually, resulting in over 17.5 trillion won in outflow for medical, transportation, and accommodation costs.
To enhance the completeness of treatment within local areas, there were calls for urgent expansion of advanced infrastructure, such as regional cancer centers. Rep. Park Yong-gap of the Democratic Party emphasized the necessity of building a cancer hospital in the central region and advocated for policy financing support. Rep. Lee Dal-hee of the People Power Party highlighted the reality of 200,000 patients leaving the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions each year, strongly recommending active national funding support for the introduction of expensive advanced equipment like proton therapy at Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital.
Concerns were also raised about the lack of educational and training spaces due to a significant increase in medical school enrollment. Rep. Baek Sun-hee of the Justice Party warned that by 2029, when clinical training for the increased number of students begins, classroom capacity will be exceeded, forcing students to attend classes in hallways.
Rep. Jeon Jin-sook of the Democratic Party and the hospital directors pointed out that while educational facilities receive 75% government funding, support for treatment facilities is only 25%, leading hospitals to suffer from massive self-financing and debts in the billions. They collectively urged for an increase in government funding for treatment facilities, now that oversight has shifted to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Son Young-rae stated, "We will actively discuss with the Ministry of Budget and Finance to raise the government funding rate for treatment facilities at regional national university hospitals to a level comparable to other Ministry of Health projects."
Concerns Over Non-Covered Medical Costs and Patient Data Breaches
There was also sharp criticism regarding the lax operations and poor systems of national university hospitals, which receive substantial taxpayer funding.
Rep. Park Ji-won of the Democratic Party pointed out the opaque pricing standards, noting that the cost of the same non-covered items (such as Novacool fibrillation) varies significantly, with prices at Pusan National University Hospital being 2.7 times higher than at Seoul National University Hospital and nearly four times higher between Kyungpook National University Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital.
In particular, the "opaque operations" of Chungbuk National University Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital, which prescribed hundreds of specific non-covered items while leaving their prices unsearchable on their websites, drew demands for a comprehensive investigation.
Rep. Lee So-hee of the People Power Party criticized the inadequate anonymization in the process of publicly disclosing internal audit reports from Kyungpook National University Hospital and Chungnam National University Hospital, leading to a significant data breach where sensitive patient records and names were exposed. She stated, "At Kyungpook National University Hospital alone, information on 543 individuals leaked, including records of breast cancer surgeries and employee reductions," urging immediate notification of affected individuals and measures to prevent recurrence.
Additionally, Rep. So Byeong-hoon of the Democratic Party called for an analysis of the reasons behind the failure of the "public clinical professor system," which has not even filled one-fifth of its quota, while Rep. Seo Mi-hwa of the Democratic Party pointed out the shameful reality of national university hospitals paying substantial employment burdens while maintaining a disability employment rate of only 2% for four consecutive years.
Rep. Kwon Chil-seung of the Democratic Party criticized the prolonged neglect of language therapists at the Daejeon Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, operated by Chungnam National University, and the hospital's inadequate monitoring, emphasizing the strict responsibilities of public healthcare institutions.
Finally, Rep. Kim Yoon stressed the importance of establishing a regional network beyond the solitary development of national university hospitals. He stated, "National university hospitals should not struggle alone but should build strong networks with other hospitals in the region to share essential medical services," urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare and national university hospitals to develop a concrete blueprint for regional essential medical networks.
Health and Welfare Committee Chair Kim Man-hee concluded the audit by stating, "We will spare no support from the National Assembly to ensure that national university hospitals can truly become regional hubs," and directed the government to report effective measures before the comprehensive audit.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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