J Korean Med Assoc.  2017 Mar;60(3):210-212. 10.5124/jkma.2017.60.3.210.

How to make the right policy for the medical workforce

• Lee HY

• KMID: 2374378
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2017.60.3.210

Abstract

What is the most important area to focus on to improve health in Korea? The overall number of doctors is the only indicator of the health care system that is currently emphasized by the government. Instead, we should focus on the number of public hospital beds, which is very low, and health expenditures, which are below average when normalized for gross domestic product. In most Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, the public sector is the main source of health care financing, with approximately three-quarters of health care spending originating from the public sector. In Korea, social health insurance and the government currently finance approximately 55% of all health expenditures. In contrast, Korea has a top ranking in comparison to other countries with regard to the number of private hospital beds. The ratio of medical doctors, dentists, and Korean traditional doctors in the workforce in primary clinics is approximately 2.5:1.3:1. Therefore, the Korean government should decide whether traditional doctors should be included in the health care delivery system. Most medical doctors in primary clinics are specialists who require a corresponding support system. The training of new doctors is too fast, as the overall number of doctors in Korea is sufficient. The government should develop the best possible plan to help doctors be doctors and show their devotion to the community.

Keyword

Medical workforces; OECD indicators; Regional imbalance; Twisted workforces in health system; Primary medical field

MeSH Terms

Delivery of Health Care
Dentists
Gross Domestic Product
Health Expenditures
Hospitals, Private
Hospitals, Public
Humans
Insurance, Health
Korea
Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development
Public Sector
Specialization

Reference

1. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Health at a glance 2015: OECD indicators [Internet]. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;2015. cited 2017 Jan 10. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/health_glance-2015-en.

2. Ministry of Health and Welfare. Annual report of the public health statistics 2016. Vol. 62. Sejong: Ministry of Health and Welfare;2017.

3. Kim YK. A research on appropriate level of physician workforce supply in the forthcoming ten years. Seoul: Research Institute for Healthcare Policy;2013.

4. Statistics Korea. Population and prospects in the world and Korea. 2015. [Internet]. Daejeon: Statistics Korea;2015. cited 2017 Jan 10. Available from: http://kostat.go.kr/portal/korea/kor_nw/2/2/6/index.board?bmode=read&aSeq=347102&pageNo=&rowNum=10&amSeq=&sTarget=&sTxt=.

5. Research Institute for Healthcare Policy. 2016 Annual report to membership statistics of the Korean Medical Association. Seoul: Research Institute for Healthcare Policy;2016.