Anesthesiologists are leaving hospital operating rooms for private practices, citing excessive night duty, high-risk surgeries, and legal risks, data showed.
The government’s push to increase the medical school enrollment quota has also worked as a catalyst for anesthesiologists to move away from the operating room.
According to Korea Biomedical Review's analysis of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)'s "Number of Specialists by Department" data, the number of anesthesiologists working in hospital-level medical institutions, including advanced general hospitals, decreased from the second quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2024.
On the other hand, the number of anesthesiologists working at clinic-level medical institutions is increasing.
The second-quarter number of anesthesiologists, one of the so-called popular specialties, has grown steadily over the past five years, from 4,662 in the second quarter of 2020 to 4,817 in 2021, 4,964 in 2022, 5,110 in 2023, and 5,248 in 2024, an increase of 586m or 12.5 percent, over the five years.
During the five years, fewer anesthesiologists were working in hospital-level or higher facilities and more were in private practice.
Of the 4,662 total anesthesiologists in the second quarter of 2020, 2,542, or 54.5 percent, were in hospital- or higher-level care. General hospitals accounted for 20.8 percent (971), followed by hospitals' 17.6 percent (819), and advanced general hospitals’ 16.1 percent (752). The remaining 45.5 percent, or 2,120, were at clinics.
However, in the second quarter of 2024, the share of anesthesiologists working at the hospital-level and above decreased and the number of private practitioners increased. Of the 5,248 anesthesiologists, 49.1 percent, or 2,575, were in private practice. There were 455 more anesthesiologists in private practice over the five years.
In contrast, 50.9 percent (2,673) of anesthesiologists worked in advanced general hospitals, general hospitals, and hospitals, a decrease of 3.59 percentage points from the second quarter of 2020. The number of anesthesiologists working in general hospitals increased to 1,062, but their share of the total fell slightly to 20.2 percent.
The number of anesthesiologists working in advanced general hospitals increased by 54, from 752 in 2020 to 806 in 2024, but their share dropped to 15.4 percent. Anesthesiologists working in hospitals decreased from 819 to 805 (15.3 percent). The hospital level was the only category with a declining number of anesthesiologists despite an increase in the total number.
Many in the medical field are concerned that more anesthesiologists are leaving the operating room in the wake of the mass resignations of trainee doctors.
"It's not serious yet but many people say, 'Should I quit, too?'" said Yon Jun-heum, president of the Korean Society of Anesthesiologists (KSA). "Without trainee doctors and students, the educational function is gone. As this situation prolongs, there are a lot of worries."
The KSA head continued, "Professors in their late 30s and early- to mid-40s who should work hard have no vision. So, they want to move but are studying the face of one another. If one or two people from the hospital start to leave, it is obvious that it will completely collapse, so they are not leaving. However, if this situation is prolonged, the operating rooms of university hospitals may collapse sooner or later."