The terrible collapse of pediatrics departments

A five-year child running a high fever of 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and severe cough died after being denied by several hospitals. The tragedy happened in Seoul just two days after Children’s Day on May 5. The 119 ambulance which carried the child approached four university hospitals on May 6, but all of them refused to take the patient, citing a lack of hospital beds and doctors.

The child was diagnosed with acute laryngotracheobronchitis at the fifth hospital, but nevertheless was not accepted by the facility. The child lost consciousness upon returning home on May 7 and was carried off to the hospital once again. But he never woke up.

The tragic case underscores the pediatrics crisis. Many parents complain how they could only stamp their feet in emergency rooms carrying a sick child over the weekend or late at night. Shortage of resident doctors in the pediatric ward is the primary cause. Big hospitals cannot run on fully-accredited doctors alone.

According to this year’s enrollment of doctors in training, the pediatrics field received just 33 applicants out of 207 openings, showing an application rate of 15.9 percent. Enrollment in pediatrics has been shrinking since the first undersubscription in 2019. Many general hospitals have not received a single applicant for pediatrics departments this year. Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon had to briefly stop receiving inpatients in the pediatric ward due to a lack of doctors.

The pediatrics department has been losing applicants as many feel the field is “unpromising.” Patients have sharply fallen due to Korea’s extremely low birthrate, and doctors feel there is no financial reward to pediatrics, despite all the complexities in treating children. Would-be doctors also shun the field due to the emotional stress from dealing with panicky parents and lawsuit risks. The Korean Pediatric Society contended that more trainee doctors would apply for pediatrics only when the future in children’s clinics is ensured, criticizing the government for its insincere response to the increasing closure of pediatrics departments in general hospitals.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare in February announced measures to improve the pediatrics system, but they were met with a cold response from the field.

The proposal to increase public clinics for children is necessary, but it cannot be a fundamental solution. There must be more practical incentives to draw more applicants to the pediatrics field. Favors in insurance coverage and clinic opening are some possible ideas. It is a shame that the society with the world’s lowest birthrate is failing to protect children because of a critical lack of medical infrastructure.