Nearly half of residents living in medically underserved areas must travel more than an hour to receive treatment for serious illnesses or childbirth, according to a government survey, highlighting the persistent gap in healthcare access between the Seoul metropolitan area and regional communities.
The Medical Innovation Committee under the Prime Minister's Office shared these findings at its third meeting held at Koreana Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday. The committee, established to discuss healthcare system improvements based on public input, comprises 30 members including 27 private sector representatives and three government officials.
The survey found that 49.0% of respondents in medically underserved areas said it takes more than an hour to reach a medical facility for treatment of serious illnesses. In contrast, the figure stood at 29.9% for non-underserved areas in the capital region and 25.3% for non-underserved areas outside the capital region.
The disparity was also stark for pediatric care. Some 13.5% of respondents in underserved areas reported needing more than an hour to reach a hospital—more than six times higher than the 2.1% recorded in non-underserved areas of the capital region.
Perceptions of healthcare adequacy also diverged sharply. Only 18.9% of respondents in underserved areas said facilities for serious illness treatment were sufficient, compared to 59.8% in the capital region's non-underserved areas. Similar gaps emerged for maternity care, with 24.8% in underserved areas versus 62.5% in the capital region deeming services adequate. For emergency medical facilities, the figures were 31.6% and 65.5%, respectively.
The committee noted that closing the quality gap between large hospitals in the capital region and regional general hospitals ranked as the top priority, scoring 87.5% in importance and 43.4% in urgency.
The committee finalized 10 agenda items across three areas for future discussion: strengthening regional, essential, and public healthcare; building a health system for a super-aged society; and enhancing sustainability for future challenges.
Key items under the regional and essential healthcare category include expanding infrastructure for emergency, maternity, and pediatric services; establishing a medical accident safety net; training healthcare professionals; and increasing public medical facilities.
The committee plans to establish specialized subcommittees by field in March, meeting biweekly to develop detailed measures. Committee Chairman Chung Ki-hyun said, "We will focus discussions on urgent issues that the public feels directly and derive effective solutions."