The Korean Medicine Association (KMA) has criticized the government's rural healthcare measures as "complacent," calling for greater utilization of Korean medicine and dental public health doctors instead of nurse practitioners.
The KMA issued a statement on January 16 titled "Ministry of Health and Welfare Remains Relaxed Despite Imminent Collapse of Regional Healthcare Due to Public Health Doctor Shortage." The association argued that "maximizing the use of immediately available Korean medicine and dental public health doctors could be the fastest and most realistic solution."
On January 13, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced measures including deploying nurse-based health care practitioners at health centers without medical public health doctors and expanding recruitment of senior physicians. The measures aim to minimize healthcare gaps caused by a sharp decline in public health doctor numbers following disruptions to resident training and medical school education amid the ongoing dispute between the government and medical profession.
Public health doctors have served in rural health centers where private medical facilities are absent and physician recruitment is difficult. However, their numbers have declined due to the service period gap with active-duty soldiers (18 months versus 36 months) and rising female enrollment in medical schools. Only 98 medical public health doctors were newly assigned this year, just 22% of the 450 completing their service. Total medical public health doctor numbers plunged 37.2% from 945 in 2025 to 593 this year.
The KMA said the ministry's measures would prove ineffective as primary care gaps in medically underserved rural areas are already materializing. The association noted significant dissatisfaction among health care practitioners and called the measures stopgap solutions.
Regarding senior physician recruitment, the KMA cited cases demonstrating limited effectiveness: Jindo County Health Center in South Jeolla Province experienced renewed healthcare gaps just three months after hiring a senior doctor, while Yeongam, Sinan, and Haenam county health centers received no applicants despite posting openings for over two months.
The association argued that establishing institutional frameworks for Korean medicine public health doctors to expand their primary care roles after completing specified training is more urgent than relying on nurse practitioners.
The KMA has long demanded revisions to the Rural Healthcare Act to allow Korean medicine public health doctors to perform minor medical procedures after completing designated training programs. The strategy aims to expand Korean medicine doctors' presence in primary care settings, including home visits, by broadening currently restricted authorities such as administering vaccinations.
"If Korean medicine public health doctors were allowed to perform primary care after completing a certain period of training, a significant portion of the healthcare gap in rural areas could be resolved," the KMA stated.
The association added: "One cannot help but wonder whether pushing policies like senior physician recruitment—which has already proven unsuccessful—while failing to utilize available medical personnel demonstrates the narrow-minded thinking of a Health Minister who is a physician."
The KMA urged the government to "swiftly establish institutional frameworks for actively utilizing Korean medicine and dental public health doctors in areas without medical public health doctors, and if necessary, protect the health of residents in medically underserved areas through emergency measures such as administrative orders."
"Implement this immediately to protect the health and lives of rural residents," the association demanded.
