Three out of 10 gynecologists are over the age of 60.

Furthermore, the number of obstetricians and gynecologists per 1,000 female population was far below one, at 0.24 nationwide. Notably, North Gyeongsang Province showed the lowest rate, at 0.16 per 1,000 women.

According to the “Status of Obstetricians and Gynecologists by Age Group,” data Rep. Park Hee-seung of the Democratic Party of Korea received from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there were 6,082 obstetricians and gynecologists working in Korean medical institutions as of the of August this year.

The average age of obstetricians and gynecologists was 54.4, with one-third of them over the legal retirement age of 60. There were 706 specialists in their 30s or younger, or 11.6 percent of the total, and only nine were under 30.

By region, the average age of obstetricians-gynecologists was highest in North Gyeongsang Province, at 60.8 years, followed by North Jeolla Province (59.6 years) and South Jeolla Province (59.1 years). Only four regions were lower than the national average of 54.4: Daegu (54), Gyeonggi Province (53), Seoul (51.8), and Sejong (51.5).

The number of obstetricians-gynecologists per 1,000 female population was 0.24 nationwide. Seoul (0.34), Gwangju (0.29), Daegu (0.28), Busan (0.28), and Daejeon (0.25) had more obstetricians-gynecologists than the national average.

In contrast, North Gyeongsang Province, which had the most aged obstetricians and gynecologists, also had the lowest number of ob-gyn specialists at 0.16 per 1,000 female population.

“Three out of 10 obstetricians and gynecologists have already passed the legal retirement age, and only one out of 10 is under 30,” Rep. Park said. “The more rural areas have fewer specialists and a higher average age, so it is urgent to develop policies to strengthen regional public healthcare capacity, as there are concerns about a gap in obstetric care in the future.”