Compared to other OECD member nations, Koreans use more health and medical services, and the nation has more medical equipment but fewer health workers, such as doctors and nurses.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare released its analysis of Korea’s health and medical indicators in the “OECD Health Statistics 2022” on Monday.
According to the report, Koreans’ life expectancy is 83.5 years, three years longer than the OECD’s average of 80.5 years but 1.2 years shorter than the 84.7 years in Japan, the country with the longest life expectancy.
Korea’s avoidable mortality stood at 147.0 per 100,000 people in 2019, lower than the OECD average of 215.2 people. Avoidable mortality refers to deaths that can be avoided by preventing diseases and the timely provision of treatment services.
The nation’s suicide rate remained the highest among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with 25.4 per 100,000 people. However, it had steadily declined from the peak of 35.3 in 2009, the ministry report said.
Korea had 2.5 clinicians, including oriental doctors, per 1,000 people in 2020, the second lowest in OECD, following Mexico’s 2.4.
Austria and Norway were the top two countries in the number of doctors per 1,000 people with 5.4 and 5.1 clinicians, respectively.
Korea’s number of medical school graduates – including oriental medicine and excluding dentists – was also the second lowest, with 7.2 per 100,000 people, following 6.9 in Japan and Israel.
In contrast, the wage income of salaried Korean doctors was $195,463.2 PPP (purchasing power parity) on average, and that of self-employed doctors stood at $303,007 PPP, the highest among OECD countries.
Purchasing power parities (PPPs) are the rates of currency conversion that try to equalize the purchasing power of different currencies by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries.
Korea’s nursing workforce – nurses and nursing aides – was 8.4 per 1,000 people, 1.3 less than the OECD average of 9.7. Regarding the share of nurses among total nursing workers, Korea’s 4.4 nurses were far lower than the OECD average of 8.0 nurses.
In contrast, Korea had more nursing school graduates, 42.4 per 100,000, than the OECD average of 31.4.
The number of hospital beds was 12.7 per 1,000 people in Korea, the most among OECD member countries and about 2.9 times more than the OECD average of 4.3.
The nation also had larger numbers of MRI and CT machines, with 34.2 and 40.6 units per 1 million people per the OECD average of 18.3 and 29.1 units.
In 2020, an average Korean received 14.7 times outpatient treatments from doctors, the most among OECD countries and about 2.5 times more than the OECD average of 5.9 times.
Korea’s medical expenses accounted for 8.4 percent of its gross domestic product, lower than the OECD average of 9.7 percent.
According to the report, Korea’s per capita drug sales stood at $760.9 PPP, $213.7 PPP higher than the OECD average of $547.2 PPP.