Gov't plans to prevent closure of Korea's largest drug treatment facility

Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo discusses drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities in Seoul on Friday,. [YONHAP]

The Health Ministry announced on Friday that it will explore measures to prevent the closing of the largest drug addiction treatment hospital in the greater Seoul area.

"Regarding the potential closure of the drug addiction treatment hospital, nothing has been decided," stated Vice Minister Park Min-soo. "However, there are indeed management-related challenges."

He added that the government will investigate regulatory support options to assist the drug addiction treatment hospital and alleviate management difficulties.

"Treating drug addiction requires substantial effort, but the treatment facilities often face financial difficulties due to inadequate compensation," noted the Vice Minister.

He emphasized that the government will establish a system to ensure appropriate compensation for these treatment institutions.

"We cannot solely rely on the sacrifices of those working in these institutions," Park stated. "We will develop measures to prevent their closure."

The Health Ministry's briefing follows a report by the JoongAng Ilbo on the impending shut down of Incheon Chamsarang Hospital.

The head of the hospital, Cheon Young-hoon, disclosed plans to close the facility at the end of the year and intends to hold a press conference next month regarding this decision.

Incheon Chamsarang Hospital is not only the largest drug addiction treatment hospital in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, collectively accounting for 50 percent of the entire population with nearly 26 million people, but also in the country.

According to a 2022 white paper on drug-related crimes published by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, there are 21 drug addiction treatment institutions nationwide.

Incheon Chamsarang Hospital treated the most patients with 276, followed by Bugok National Hospital in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang, with 134 patients.

Others treated fewer than five patients, including Daegu Medical Center, which had four.

Many hospitals dedicated to treating and rehabilitating drug addicts struggle financially because government support falls short of covering their costs.

"Among psychiatrists, there is a saying that treating a single alcoholic patient is equivalent to treating 10 bipolar patients, and a single patient with personality disorder is equivalent to treating 10 alcoholic patients, while 10 personality disorder patients are equivalent to a single drug addict," explained a psychiatrist.

"We have been working tirelessly and even spending our own money instead of receiving adequate funding for treatment expenses," said an employee of Incheon Chamsarang Hospital.

According to the drug addiction treatment and protection regulations under the presidential decree, when a treatment institution receives a request from the prosecutors' office, drug addicts, or their family members to treat a patient, they have to provide treatment for free for a year after the patient is evaluated.

However, the combined central and local government budget for such treatment and rehabilitation institutions last year amounted to only 820 million won ($611,000).

This budget is only good for covering the treatment expenses of 165 patients that are admitted for a month.

The 276 patients treated at Incheon Chamsarang Hospital last year had already completed their treatment. When including patients still undergoing treatment, the total amounts to 412, exceeding the government's budget, further straining the financial situation.

"The financial situation has worsened as the number of drug addicts has increased, and other patients who could offset the costs of treating drug addicts for free have left," said an official at Incheon Chamsarang Hospital.

"This year alone, 50 other patients, including those with alcohol addiction and bipolar disorder, have left us," the official added. "In the last two months, 20 of our nursing staff have resigned."

According to the prosecutor's office white paper, the number of people arrested for using or supplying drugs last year reached a record high of 18,395. When accounting for those not taken into custody for investigation, the estimated number of drug addicts in the country could rise to 525,500.

The number of hospitals accepting drug addicts for treatment has been decreasing.

Gangnam Eulji Medical Center, which previously treated around 100 drug addicts annually, stopped accepting such patients in 2021. The hospital had been designated by the Seoul city government as an exclusive drug addiction treatment hospital in 2015.
However, due to financial difficulties, the hospital requested the city government to revoke its exclusive status.

Some hospitals still designated for treating drug addicts, including Motherth Hospital in Ulsan, Gwangju City Mental Hospital, Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center Uijeongbu Hospital, Chuncheon National Hospital, and Pohang Medical Center, haven’t had a single patient in the past three years.

"It's challenging for other hospitals to admit additional drug addicts due to a lack of specialists and budget," said Jang Ok-jin, a psychiatry specialist at Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital.

Jang formerly headed the substance addiction ward at Bugok National Hospital.

“The closing of Incheon Chamsarang Hospital presents a significant issue for the nation's drug treatment and rehabilitation, as it accounted for 70 percent of treated patients,” Jang said.

"Closing the hospital will create a massive gap in the treatment and rehabilitation system," said Park Young-deok, head of the Addiction Recovery Program at the Korea Association Against Drug Abuse. "Incheon Chamsarang Hospital is the only hope for drug addicts in the greater Seoul area."

"While the government has declared a war against drugs and is focusing on cracking down on them, it needs to pay more attention to fundamental prevention education, treatment, and rehabilitation," said Lee Beom-jin, a pharmacy professor at Ajou University. "It's time to boldly increase related facilities and personnel."

BY KIM MIN-JOONG, LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]