Competition for spots at Korean postpartum care clinics fierce despite birthrate

View of a ward in a public postpartum care center in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong [SOUTH CHUNGCHEONG PROVINCIAL OFFICE]

The competition for reserving a ward at one of Korea's postpartum care centers is fierce among parents-to-be while the clinics up their hospitalization fees amid the lowering demand from the nation's plummeting birthrates.

The postpartum care centers, called sanhujoriwon, are centers unique to Korea at which new mothers are provided with hotel-like services 24 hours a day. About four out of five mothers who gave birth in 2020 received this care, according to a report released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in January last year.

The competition for a spot at a public sanhujoriwon, priced relatively more affordably than private ones, is known to be especially tough among expectant parents.

A two-week stay at a public clinic cost 1.7 million won ($1,300) on average last year, whereas a private clinic would have cost some 3.09 million won, according to data released by the Health Ministry on March 7.

A pregnant woman in her 20s surnamed Cha visited a public postpartum care center in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, on Feb. 1 to register for a raffle to receive care after her delivery. The city government-run postpartum center has been holding raffles for the care since last year after people began forming a queue to wait overnight.

“It’s a hit-and-miss because you don’t know how many people will apply,” said the woman, adding that she heard some 30 percent of those who showed up at the center didn’t make the cut.

A public sanhujoriwon in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong, accepts applications for postpartum care each month on site on a first come, first served basis. Parents would show up during early morning hours for the registration which opened at 2 p.m.

Another state-run clinic in Songpa District, southern Seoul, holds its registrations online. The spots are usually filled within the first 30 seconds.

“Reservation for sanhujoriwon is the blood, sweat and tears of the parents,” said a person claiming to be a pregnant mother in an online blog post on March 9.

On top of the blood, sweat and tears, some millions of won are also needed for the reservation.

The average cost for two week of care at a sanhujoriwon, public and private combined, was 3.07 million won last year, according to the Health Ministry data. This was up 27.4 percent from 2017. In Seoul, where the average was the highest, prices surged from 3.17 million to 4.1 million over the same period.

Gangnam District, southern Seoul, was one of the regions with the priciest two-week postpartum cares, averaging at 7.56 million won for regular wards. The VIP wards averaged at 14.5 million won. Prices skyrocket if optional add-on services, such as postpartum massages, are included.

Some experts say the increase in sanhujoriwon prices is backed by the declining birthrate.

“The dropping birthrate caused the number of sanhujoriwon to decrease due to difficulty staying in business, while the care center fees increased along with consumer prices,” Yoo Sam-hyun, a social science professor at Hanyang University, said.

The number of sanhujoriwon in Korea has decreased over the last five years. There were 598 private sanhujoriwon in 2017, which fell to 475 last year. About one-third of the clinics closed down in North Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, Gwangju and Daegu over the same time period.

Other experts say the phenomenon shows a facet of the social environment in Korea.

“Efforts to improve the birthrate, as well as the postpartum care infrastructure, are needed,” said Kim Yong-shim, a paedology professor at Soongsil Cyber University, who added that the fact that some mothers cannot afford the postpartum clinics is one reason that makes Koreans think twice before having kids.

BY CHAE HYE-SEON, SOHN DONG-JOO [sohn.dongjoo@joongang.co.kr]