Seoul National University Hospital Faces Obstetrician Shortage: Impact on Maternity Care in South Korea

There was a report that Seoul National University Hospital does not have a single full-time obstetrician. In the last two years, there have been no candidates for full-time obstetrics, and two full-time doctors who worked there until last year moved into professions, creating a gap. The phenomenon of avoiding obstetrics and gynecology that has swept across the country has even reached Seoul National University.

▶ Man is the first obstetrician and gynecologist in Korea. In 1904, the Scarry Hospital opened, and Dr. Jesse Hurst came to Korea from the United States, he established the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and she took a position as the first professor. He taught medical students and raised disciples using a model of the pelvis carved out of wood. Since it was a time when men and women were different, there are records of women covering their eyes during gynecological examinations or surgeries so that they would feel less shame. .

▶ The work of female doctors in charge of maternity protection is also special. Heo Young-sook, famous as the wife of Chunwon Lee Kwang-soo, was the first female practitioner in Korea and made a name for herself in obstetrics and gynecology. On May 1, 1920, the Yeonghye Clinic, which provided obstetrics and gynecology and internal medicine, was opened near Seodaemun. In 1938, the Heo Young-sook Maternity Hospital, a hospital specializing in childbirth, was opened in Hyoja-dong. The poet Cheonmyeong Noh, who was a reporter for a monthly magazine at the time, wrote an account of her visit to this obstetrics and gynecology clinic, which had an ondol room. Gachon University’s Gil Medical Center, which grew into a general hospital, also began as an obstetrics and gynecology department that Gachon University President Lee Gil-ya, a female doctor who graduated from Seoul National University School of Medicine, opened an obstetrics clinic and gynecology. named after her in Incheon in 1958. It is said that while patients lined up outside the door, three examination tables were set up in the treatment room, and patients were treated by sitting on a swivel chair with wheels and moving quickly by pushing with their legs.

▶ This noble work of welcoming a new life is becoming the most overlooked specialty among doctors. Last May, a 1.2 billion won compensation decision was awarded to the obstetrician/gynecologist in charge of delivering a newborn with cerebral palsy. The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a statement saying it was a “harsh regulation.” ” About 100 new obstetricians and gynecologists are produced each year. It is less than half of what it was 20 years ago. He even chooses gynecology and avoids obstetrics. Half (47%) of fourth-year residents and full-time residents say, “I will not deliver.” Concerns about medical lawsuits as a result of ‘medical accidents’ were greatest (79%).

▶ Korea is a medically advanced country with neonatal and maternal mortality rates lower than the OECD average. Nevertheless, 40% of the 391 obstetrics and gynecology disputes from 2018 to 2022 are related to childbirth. That’s how risky delivery comes with it. In countries such as Japan and Taiwan, the government provides compensation for childbirth accidents. Korea introduced a late affiliate system as well, but it is especially useless since the maximum compensation is 30 million won. Fewer babies are born and the risk of delivery increases due to the aging of mothers However, as the number of deliveries is low and the risk of accidents is very high, it is natural that the avoidance phenomenon worsens. We should not ignore the appeals of doctors who say, “If the government invests just 0.1% of the low birth rate in responsibility for childbirth accidents, a great solution will be made to avoiding obstetrics and gynecology. “