2024-03-11 12:24:00
On the 11th, the government dispatched 20 military doctors and 138 public health doctors to 20 hospitals in response to the medical resident shortage. On this day, a military doctor is on dispatched duty at a hospital in Seoul./Newsis
On the 11th, in the emergency room of Kyungpook National University Hospital, Mr. A, a public health doctor, was recording the patient’s disease name according to the instructions of a specialist. The specialist also helped the patient stop bleeding and treat the wound. Mr. B of the gazette was dressing (disinfecting) a hospitalized patient in the neurology ward. An official at Kyungpook National University Hospital said on this day, “We placed public health doctors first in departments where there was a large gap in medical staff (due to the departure of residents) and a lot of overtime work.” It was reported that 179 out of 193 residents (interns and residents) at Kyungpook National University Hospital left.
Starting this day, the government deployed 20 military doctors and 138 public health officers to 20 major hospitals across the country. Medical personnel working at military hospitals and rural public health centers were brought in to put out the urgent medical gap. Kyungpook National University Hospital immediately deployed four public officials to the scene. Chungbuk National University Hospital also deployed eight public health officers and one military doctor to the front line that day. Other hospitals plan to provide on-site training for 1-2 days before deployment. A government official said, “We made it a principle to dispatch selected military doctors and public affairs doctors to the hospitals where they trained,” adding, “This is because we can reduce the on-site adaptation time.” An official from a large hospital in Seoul said on this day, “PA nurses are performing some of the specialist duties such as intubation and examination, but prescribing cannot be done without a doctor.” He added, “We will deploy public health doctors and military doctors starting from urgent areas.” did.
Graphics = Kim Hyun-guk
Pusan National University Hospital decided to deploy among its four military doctors and five public health doctors, specialists to essential medical departments such as surgery, anesthesia, and pediatrics, and general doctors to the emergency room. A hospital official said, “The existing doctors were able to do their work to some extent by supplementing manpower,” and “There was a particular shortage of anesthesiologists, which are the basics of surgery, and the addition of anesthesiologists helped the surgery progress.” Dankook University Hospital received five military doctors and one public affairs doctor, but all general doctors are assigned to the emergency room. Accommodation for them was also prepared in the ward that was left empty for remodeling.
Chonnam National University Hospital received doctors in plastic surgery, pediatrics, radiology, neurosurgery, and anesthesiology. After the departure of residents, this hospital only performs surgeries on emergency and critically ill patients, and the plastic surgery inpatient room is virtually closed. A hospital official said, “It is helpful because half of the eight people dispatched are in plastic surgery.”
There are many observations that although the deployment of military doctors and public information officers will help put out urgent fires, it will not be enough to fill the gap in medical specialties. An official from a large hospital said, “We have concentrated our support staff on essential medical areas,” and added, “It will be helpful in maintaining emergency patient care.” However, he said, “Because public health doctors and military doctors are not affiliated with hospitals, they cannot be forced to work night shifts, and it is difficult to work hand in hand with existing doctors.”
The number of residents who left the hospital amounts to about 12,000. On the other hand, there are about 1,400 public health doctors nationwide, excluding oriental medicine and dentistry. There are about 2,400 military doctors. A government official said, “We cannot recruit all the public health doctors who guard local public health centers and the military doctors who are essential for maintaining military hospitals,” adding, “Out of the 3,800 public health doctors and military doctors, the manpower that can be mobilized will be limited.” Even among public health doctors, only about 30% are specialists, so it is not easy to immediately assign them to intensive care treatment or surgery. The government plans to actively utilize the approximately 10,000 PA nurses to fill the gap in the specialty.
The decrease in the number of military doctors and public health doctors due to changes in the military service system is resulting in a reduction in the number of personnel to be deployed during medical emergencies. Previously, medical students often served as military doctors or public health doctors instead of active duty. The service period for military doctors is 38 months, and for public service doctors is 37 months. However, if you are an active duty soldier in the army, it is 18 months. A person in the medical field said, “These days, active duty is not that difficult and the period is half the time, so people don’t often become military doctors or public health doctors.” Last year, the number of public health doctors was 1,432, a decrease of 570 from five years ago. According to a survey by the Korean Association of Public Health Physicians, 85.9% of respondents, including public health doctors and medical students, answered that they ‘feel very burdened’ by the length of service that is longer than active duty. A hospital director said, “In the past, most medical students were men, but now half of them are women.” He added, “The number of people to support military doctors or public health doctors has decreased.”
/ Reporters Joo-bi Oh and Ji-eun Kang, Daegu = Reporters Seung-gyu Lee
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