National university hospitals lost 223 doctors in the first half-year

University hospitals are in crisis.

Resigned trainee doctors are hardly returning but faculty turnover is even worse. In the first half of this year alone, 223 professors resigned. That is nearly 80 percent of the resignations for the whole of 2023.

Rep. Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, said so after analyzing data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the “Status of Professor Resignations at National Hospitals in the First Half of 2024.”

In the first half of this year alone, 79.6 percent of the 280 resignations in the previous year left university hospitals, Rep. Kim noted.

Kangwon National University Hospital, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, and Gyeonsang National University Changwon Hospital saw more professors resign in the first half of this year than those who left last year.

At Kangwon National University Hospital, 18 professors resigned in the first half-year. That was 150 percent of the 12 professors who resigned last year, the highest rate of resignations among national hospitals. Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, a branch of Chungnam National University Hospital, also saw five professors resign in the first half of this year, 125 percent of the four who resigned last year.

Gyeogsang National University Changwon Hospital, a branch of Gyeongsang National University Hospital, saw 11 professors resign in the first half-year. This is more than the 10 resignations in the entire previous year. At Gyeongsang National University Hospital, four professors resigned last year and another four in the first half of this year.

The largest number of professors resigned at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) in the first half-year. Sixty-five professors, or 15.2 percent of the total 428 professors at SNUBH, resigned. Following its lead were Chonnam National University Hospital with 24 (4.9 percent), Seoul National University Hospital with 23 (3.3 percent), and Kyungpook National University Hospital with 21 (4.5 percent).

Ninety-two percent of trainee doctors also left the hospitals.

According to data on the number of intern and resident resignations submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 12,380, or 91.5 percent of the 13,531 interns and residents eligible for appointment had not returned to work as of July 18.

Of those who did not return, 56.5 percent had clearly stated their intention to resign, while 34.9 percent were on hold or unclear whether they would return or resign.

The resignation rate was particularly high for the most disliked subjects. By specialty, the highest resignation rate was in radiation oncology where 45 out of 60, or 75 percent, resigned. This was followed by cardiothoracic surgery at 62.6 percent, obstetrics and gynecology at 61.2 percent, and pediatrics and gynecology at 59.7 percent. The number of pending resignations by specialty was not identified, so the number of specialists leaving the hospital is likely higher.

"Given the lack of returning doctors and the departure of professors from national university hospitals, the medical gap for essential care, including critically ill, emergency patients, and rare diseases, is a foregone conclusion," Rep. Kim said. "The government should not wait for doctors to return but face the reality and take immediate measures to minimize the medical gap."

To ensure that essential medical personnel no longer leave university hospitals, the government should present a concrete blueprint for creating a medical field where those who choose essential medicine can enjoy a good work-life balance, adequate compensation, and be free from the burden of medical errors, the physician-turned-lawmaker added.