Provincial patients' Seoul hospital care costs 1.75 tn won a year, lawmaker says
In short
Non-capital-region patients using Seoul's top-tier general hospitals generated an estimated 1.748 trillion won in annual socioeconomic net costs, based on 2023 health insurance review data analysed by opposition lawmaker Huh Jong-sik. The analysis found regional national university hospitals have far fewer doctors and beds than Seoul's big five hospitals, and Huh called for a “region-complete” medical system so patients can be treated locally.
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Provincial patients using Seoul's top-tier general hospitals generated an estimated 1.748 trillion won in annual socioeconomic net costs, according to an analysis of 2023 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service treatment records submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Rep. Huh Jong-sik of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's health and welfare committee. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Of the total, 1.3416 trillion won, or 76.8%, was attributed to health-system costs such as differences in treatment fees, while 406.3 billion won covered non-medical costs including transport and accommodation, CBS NoCut News reported. [ 3 ]
Patient flows were concentrated: excluding the capital region and Gangwon, the Gyeongsang region accounted for 59,897 inpatients and 322,151 outpatients at Seoul's top-tier general hospitals, and the Chungcheong region for 47,201 inpatients and 291,802 outpatients, with hundreds of thousands more patients each from the Jeolla and Jeju regions, the same report said. [ 3 ]
Regional access differed sharply. The rate of use of top-tier general hospitals within the same area was 95.53% in Seoul, but 0% in North Gyeongsang and Jeju, which have no such hospitals, 25.39% in South Jeolla and 42.83% in North Chungcheong, according to the report. [ 3 ]
The regional national university hospitals that serve as local hubs averaged 331.2 doctors per institution, 26.0% of the level at the so-called big five hospitals, and 43.7% as many beds, with a relatively high share of medical equipment such as CT and mammography machines more than 10 years old. [ 3 ]
Huh said the government should realign the functions of national university hospitals around essential care, support the recruitment of specialist staff and the modernisation of equipment, and move quickly to build a “region-complete” medical system. [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents present the cost and the capacity gap as a long-running structural problem in South Korea's health system, with patients in provinces travelling to Seoul for care. The lawmaker's proposal implies pressure on the government to fund national university hospitals and for the concentration of doctors and equipment in Seoul to be addressed, though the documents give no indication of a government response or planned measure.
Key facts
- The annual socioeconomic net cost of non-capital-region patients using Seoul's top-tier general hospitals was estimated at about 1.748 trillion won, based on 2023 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service treatment records. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Of that total, 1.3416 trillion won, or 76.8%, was health-system costs such as gaps in treatment fees, while 406.3 billion won covered non-medical costs such as transport and accommodation. [ 3 ]
- Patients from the Gyeongsang region using Seoul's top-tier general hospitals numbered 59,897 inpatients and 322,151 outpatients, while the Chungcheong region accounted for 47,201 inpatients and 291,802 outpatients. [ 3 ]
- Regional use rates for top-tier general hospitals were 95.53% within Seoul, but 0% in North Gyeongsang and Jeju, 25.39% in South Jeolla and 42.83% in North Chungcheong. [ 3 ]
- Regional national university hospitals averaged 331.2 doctors per institution, 26.0% of the level at the so-called big five hospitals, and 43.7% of their beds. [ 3 ]
- Rep. Huh Jong-sik of the Democratic Party called on the government to realign national university hospitals around essential care, secure specialist staff and modernise equipment to build a “region-complete” medical system. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The socioeconomic cost of provincial patients travelling to Seoul for treatment is estimated at about 1.748 trillion won a year. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The gap in staff and equipment at regional national university hospitals compared with Seoul's large hospitals is cited as a main cause. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Rep. Huh Jong-sik of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's health and welfare committee, called for a medical system that lets patients finish treatment in their own regions, drawing on data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The cost breakdown, patient counts and hospital staffing and equipment figures come from one outlet's detailed report. Only document 3 gives these specifics; no other document confirms them.
- How the government responded to the analysis or whether it plans measures is not stated. No document includes a government response or a policy commitment.
- The calculation method behind the “net socioeconomic cost” figure is not explained beyond its basis in 2023 Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service records. Only document 3 describes the basis, and it does not set out the methodology.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Newsis publishes a report leading on the 1.748 trillion won annual socioeconomic cost of provincial patients travelling to Seoul for care. [ 1 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports the same figure and cites insufficient staff and medical equipment at regional national university hospitals as the main cause. [ 2 ]
- CBS NoCut News publishes the detailed breakdown of the analysis, including cost components, patient numbers by region, regional use rates and hospital staffing comparisons, along with the lawmaker's comments. [ 3 ]