Countryside doctors recount need for, merits of suburban health work

Social Affairs

Published: 03 Dec. 2023, 16:16

Countryside doctors recount need for, merits of suburban health work

Choi Jun, back, head of the Geochang Red Cross Hospital in South Gyeongsang [JOONGANG PHOTO]

“Doctor, please stay at this hospital, at least until my dying days," an elderly patient in the countryside said.

Korea's countryside doctors are sustaining the health care and medical systems on the verge of collapse in these communities.

Although geographically quite far away from the high-paying salaries and well-built infrastructure that come with big-city hospitals, these suburban doctors stay next to their patients without whining or complaining.

Choi Jun, the head of Geochang Red Cross Hospital, often hears his patients’ pleas asking him to stay — especially these days. Whenever Choi comes back from a vacation, his patients tell him how much they missed him. He sees more than 80 patients a day on average.

Choi, who graduated from the School of Medicine of Kyungpook National University, closed his private medical clinic in Daegu in 2013 and relocated to Geochang County in South Gyeongsang. He has been the head of the hospital since 2020, after leading the internal medicine department for seven years.

“In the countryside, there are a lot of elderly patients. This places a huge importance on forming a rapport and building trust with them. Patients always thank me and need me,” Choi said.

“Thorough examinations of these patients leads to the detection of abnormal symptoms, ultimately saving their lives.”

Choi shared his experience of having saved a patient who suffered from indigestion. Upon realizing that they may have had a heart attack, he sent the patient to a bigger university hospital. Choi said the patient later expressed their gratefulness to him, saying “I survived because of you, doctor.”

“I frequently write treatment referrals for my patients or directly contact their children so that they can easily seek medical services at tertiary hospitals,” Choi said.

Choi added that there are a greater number of patients in need of medical assistance in rural areas.

“The inconvenience and poor infrastructure could discourage doctors from choosing the countryside, but it is much more rewarding than working in Seoul,” Choi said.

“When there are countless patients relying on and believing in me, how can I leave Geochang County?”

Kim Yeon-seon, a thyroid surgeon at Dongkang Hospital in Ulsan [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Kim Yeon-seon is a renowned thyroid surgeon at Dongkang Hospital in Ulsan. New patients seeking her medical diagnosis and advice are put on a three-monthlong waitlist. An online patient forum is flooded with comments of and recommendations praising Kim.

Kim finished her residency and full-time doctor course at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. She then dipped her toes in the waters of Ulsan while intending to go back to Seoul after spending a year in the region.

Kim said the negative ideas that people had of countryside doctors really bothered her, and their suspicion of such doctors’ skills and qualifications disheartened her.

She then shifted her perspective and decided to “let those patients receive high-quality treatment without making them go to Seoul.” With her changed mind and attitude, patients started to flock to the hospital in Ulsan.

Nowadays, patients come in from Busan, South Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions. She has performed more than 5,600 surgeries over the last decade.

Kim, who once thought about moving to a metropolitan area, said she changed her mind when an elderly patient grabbed her hands and said so sincerely, “I don’t want you to go somewhere else.”

“Countryside patients have a hard time when they receive treatments in Seoul hospitals. When I work harder and do my work better, I can prevent those exhaustive situations that countryside patients would otherwise face,” Kim said.

“I wish there could be some sort of incentives given to doctors who are willing to come to the countryside,” she added.

Kim Dong-min, the internal medicine department head at Mokpo Medical Center in South Jeolla [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Kim Dong-min, head of the internal medicine department at Mokpo Medical Center in South Jeolla, first finished his traineeship in Daejeon before returning to his hometown with a firm determination to “sustain and preserve his hometown” as a Mokpo native.

“As it is a small hospital, the internal medicine department is flooded with work. It is burdensome, but it's rewarding. That’s why I am staying,” Kim said.

“Seoul-born doctor trainees who went to medical college in rural areas always head back to the metropolitan areas. Special favors should be given to doctors coming to the countryside. Or there should at least be a system mandating local medical college graduates to work in those regions.”

Cho Kwang-yeon, an anesthesiologist at Pohang Stroke and Spine Hospital in Pohang, North Gyeongsang [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Cho Kwang-yeon, an anesthesiologist at Pohang Stroke and Spine Hospital in the North Gyeongsang city, said, “I have no intention and would not even dare to dream of moving to other regions, even if they pay me more.”

Cho has been working in Pohang for 15 years.

“It is my duty and joy to work with kind colleagues and treat patients here.”

Cho graduated from Yonsei University and completed his fellowship at Sinchon Severance Hospital in Seodaemum District, western Seoul. He moved to Pohang with the plan of going back to Seoul after saving up enough money to open his own clinic in Seoul.

But he changed his mind after realizing the value of staying in Pohang.

“There is not enough medical support in rural communities. I could feel my presence is more appreciated here,” Cho said.

“Being responsible for patients’ health during their whole lifetime is a guiding principle of our hospital,” Cho added.

His hospital tries its best to provide patients with a cure on its end. But when something proves to be unfeasible, it provides its patients with another option by asking for help at the university-affiliated hospitals.

“With this approach, a growing number of patients come to see the doctors in our hospital. I feel proud of myself when I see patients who are living well after their treatment. It is so upsetting to hear that some patients die on their way to the emergency room at larger hospitals after missing their golden hour."

Cha Woo-heon, urologist in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang [JOONGANG PHOTO]

Cha Woo-heon is the only urologist and medical professional with a doctorate in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang. Cha previously worked at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital in Gyeonggi and Gimcheon Medical Center in North Gyeongsang.

He relocated to Yeongdeok County three years ago, after the county governor asked him to provide medical support in the area. Cha turned down multiple offers guaranteeing his professorship at university-affiliated hospitals and took the governor's offer.

There are about 35,000 locals in the region, and quite a number of patients have come to him directly, seeking medical support.

Cha felt that the region has long been a wasteland with no proper medical access given to residents.

“On many occasions, older men over 70 make their first visit to the urology clinic after suffering from pain and difficulties for a long time,” Cha said.

“I have never regretted becoming a countryside doctor. In both Gimcheon and Yeongdeok, I could really feel and sense that these regions really need me.”

BY SHIN SUNG-SIK, JANG JOO-YOUNG, HWANG SOO-YEON, KIM NA-HAN, CHAE HYE SEON, NAM SOO-HYOUN, LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]