[메디게이트뉴스 하경대 기자] “As there is a shortage of pediatric specialists, competition among regions and medical institutions for pediatricians is intensifying.”
The Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed dissatisfaction with the argument that Dawn Star Children’s Hospital, which can provide early morning treatment, is needed following Moonlight Children’s Hospital.
The idea is that, in a situation where there is a shortage of new pediatric specialists, the competition for specialists between regions and hospitals is intensifying, making institutional policies realistically difficult.
Cho Young-dae, an emergency medicine department official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced this at a meeting of the National Assembly on the 12th to ‘Explore ways to expand support for children’s hospitals.’
At this meeting, the need for early morning pediatric care was emphasized, focusing on the case of Saha-gu Council in Busan, which enacted an ordinance to support Dawn Star Children’s Hospital.
Busan Saha-gu Council member Kang Hyun-sik (Democratic Party of Korea) said, “During the process of collecting residents’ opinions, repeated demands for pediatric treatment during pre-work hours were confirmed. The Saebyeolbyeol Children’s Hospital support ordinance complements and expands the purpose of the existing Moonlight Children’s Hospital system and provides a basis for local governments to support medical institutions that provide pediatric outpatient care during pre-work hours.”
He continued, “In order for the ordinance to be effective, a mid- to long-term support structure for pediatric outpatient care must be established. Medical institutions can participate only if a sustainable support system is established for a certain period of time, rather than a one-year project. To this end, the application of medical fees and compensation system discussions that can alleviate the burden of medical personnel during early morning hours must be reviewed together.”
However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare believed that establishing the system would not be easy. In addition to the lack of appeals and doctors, there are structural problems that are difficult to solve with partial financial support from local governments.
Jo Yeong-dae, an emergency medical department officer at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, “Currently, there is a shortage of pediatricians, and it is difficult to increase the number of new personnel in the next few years. Ultimately, competition between regions and medical institutions for the limited number of pediatric specialists is intensifying.”
Secretary Cho explained, “In this situation, when a region introduces a support plan to improve pediatric medical care, medical conditions in the area temporarily improve as personnel move to that area, but on the contrary, medical personnel in the area decrease, creating a vacuum.”
He said, “Because the field of pediatrics is extremely difficult, when support policies such as Moonlight Children’s Hospital are implemented, professors from university hospitals are leaving to private practice at the same time.”
It was also pointed out that the effectiveness of the system would be low. Secretary Cho said, “(If Dawn Star Children’s Hospital is created only in some regions), there are areas that could lead to regional concentration or concentration, so a cautious approach is needed. In particular, the number of outpatient patients from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. is about 5%. Even if supported by this number of patients, it is difficult for a medical institution to be profitable.”
Choi Yong-jae, president of the Association of Pediatric and Adolescent Hospitals, also emphasized, “The Morning Star Children’s Hospital ordinance should never be designed as a program that further exhausts older pediatricians. The one-year pilot project structure is destined to fail. Requesting participation in itself is an irresponsible design unless sustainability for at least 3 to 5 years is assumed. In particular, linking system improvement with the central government is essential.”
