75% of Pediatric Hospitals "Short of Specialists"; Half Face "Care Crisis Within 4 Years"

Pediatric Hospitals Association surveys 71 hospitals nationwide
More than 7 in 10 take at least six months to recruit specialists or fail to do so
87% report difficulty hiring nurses... Cuts to night and holiday services continue nearctic

An analysis has found that pediatric and adolescent hospitals, which underpin essential pediatric care in local communities, are facing a severe shortage of medical personnel. More than 7 in 10 hospitals lacked pediatric and adolescent medicine specialists, and hiring specialists either took at least six months or remained unsuccessful.

Choi Yongjae, president of the Korean Association of Pediatric and Adolescent Hospitals, announces the results of a survey on medical staffing at pediatric and adolescent hospitals at the Westin Seoul Parnas in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on the 10th.

The Korean Association of Pediatric and Adolescent Hospitals announced on October 10 the results of its survey on medical staffing at pediatric and adolescent hospitals, conducted from September 29 to October 4 among 71 member hospitals nationwide (22 in the Seoul metropolitan area, 12 in the Chungcheong region, 22 in the Yeongnam region, and 15 in the Honam region).

According to the survey, 53 hospitals, or 74.6% of respondents, said they had fewer specialists than needed to maintain their current services. The most commonly cited reason for difficulties in recruiting staff was “no applicants” (86.8%, multiple responses allowed), followed by “applicants’ reluctance to work nights, holidays, and inpatient shifts” (71.7%) and “difficulty affording the salaries applicants demand” (58.5%).

As a result, difficulties recruiting specialists have persisted. A total of 68 hospitals had tried to recruit specialists in the past three years, but only 19 (27.9%) completed hiring within six months. At 11.8% of the hospitals, recruitment took at least a year, while 22 hospitals (32.4%) said they had still been unable to hire anyone.

Labor costs have also risen. At 57.7% of hospitals, salaries for each pediatric and adolescent medicine specialist had increased by more than 30% over the past five years. Competition to recruit specialists has driven up labor costs, yet hospitals continue to struggle to find the staff they need.

For employed specialists, the most common average weekly working hours were 40 to 52 hours, at 52.1%. However, 43.7% of hospital directors worked more than 52 hours a week. Among hospital directors, 9.9% worked more than 70 hours a week. Hospitals where staff worked more than 52 hours a week cited maintaining night, holiday, and inpatient services (96.8%) and staff shortages resulting from failed efforts to recruit specialists (64.5%), among other reasons.

Staff shortages had already led to reductions in medical services. In the past three years, 43 hospitals (60.6%) had reduced or suspended services because of a shortage of specialists. The most common measure was reducing or suspending night-time services (33.8%), followed by shortening outpatient service hours (29.6%), reducing or suspending services on holidays (28.2%), and cutting the number of inpatient beds (23.9%). One hospital had suspended inpatient care entirely.

Nursing staffing conditions were similar: Of the 57 hospitals that provided information on their nursing staff, 71.9% said they had fewer nurses than needed. Overall, 87.3% of respondents said they had difficulty recruiting nurses. The reasons cited included nurses’ reluctance to work in pediatric and adolescent medicine (87.1%), the burden of night and shift work (54.8%), heavy workloads (54.8%), and low pay relative to the work involved (38.7%).

The survey also revealed a generational succession problem caused by the aging medical workforce. Among the 313 pediatric and adolescent medicine specialists working at respondent hospitals, 34.5% were in their 40s and 31.6% were in their 50s. By contrast, 16.0% were in their 30s, fewer than the 17.9% who were 60 or older. Those aged 60 or older also accounted for 31.0% of hospital directors.

Accordingly, 52.1% of respondent hospitals predicted that, if current staffing levels and recruitment conditions continued, they would be unable to maintain their existing system of care, including night, holiday, and inpatient services, within four years. A further 28.2% said they would face this difficulty in less than two years.

Among the 49 requests submitted by member hospitals, “improvements to medical service fees” was the most common, with 35 requests. This was followed by “financial support for labor costs and staffing” (8), “training more residents and specialists” (7), and “protecting medical staff and establishing legal safeguards” (5). The association specifically called for separate compensation for pediatric and adolescent hospitals that maintain night, holiday, and inpatient services; legal safeguards for medical accidents that occur during pediatric care; and nursing staff standards and support that reflect the nursing needs of pediatric wards.

Choi Yongjae, president of the Korean Association of Pediatric and Adolescent Hospitals and director of Uijeongbu Tuntun Children's Hospital, said, “Pediatric and adolescent hospitals are barely holding on as the backbone of pediatric care, trying to fulfill their roles and responsibilities. But, as the survey results show, the reality is far from easy. If the government continues to delay establishing institutional safeguards and support measures, essential pediatric care in local communities will soon cease to function properly.”

Han Donggyun, the association’s director of academic affairs and director of Gwangju Nam-gu Mirae Children's Hospital, said, “The current reality at pediatric and adolescent medical institutions is that it is difficult to recruit not only pediatric and adolescent medicine specialists but also nurses, partly because of the burden of complaints from patients’ guardians.” He urged the government to take action to address challenges including the accumulated fatigue of existing medical staff and financial pressure from rising labor costs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.