Elderly Doctors Increasingly Targeted in Illegal ‘Secretariat Hospital’ Scheme
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – A concerning trend has emerged in South Korea, revealing that over 60% of medical professionals lending their licenses to illegally operated medical facilities - known as ”secretariat hospitals” – are aged 60 or older. data released by Democratic Party lawmaker Jang Jong-tae on June 28th indicates a growing vulnerability among older doctors facing retirement.
Secretariat hospitals operate outside of legal parameters, utilizing a doctor’s license for facilities funded and run by non-medical personnel, such as investors or administrative staff. South Korean medical law restricts hospital ownership to qualified medical professionals – doctors, dentists, and practitioners of oriental medicine.
From 2020 through June 2024, a total of 699 individuals participated in these illegal operations. The breakdown of roles includes 257 license nominators, 401 operators involved in the actual running of the facilities, 25 conspirators, and 16 aides.
Specifically, 162 of the 257 license nominators were aged 60 or older, representing 63% of the total. Age demographics within that group include 43 individuals in their 60s (16.7%),44 in their 70s (17.1%),70 in their 80s (27.2%),and 5 in their 90s (1.9%).
Pharmacies represent the largest segment of these illegal operations, with 89 cases, followed by dental clinics (73) and general medical clinics (62). Geographically, the majority are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area: 55 in Gyeonggi province, 45 in Seoul, and 35 in Busan.
Authorities have been actively pursuing legal recourse against these illegal operations. Over the past five years, decisions have been made to reclaim illegally obtained gains from 285 cases, totaling 921.4 billion won from 2020 to June 2024, with 2021 seeing restricted enforcement due to COVID-19.
“It is indeed clear that the license of the elderly medical person in their 60s who is worried about retirement is the target of the name of the name of the license,” stated Representative Jang jong-tae.