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Ministry of Health and Welfare briefing (Mar 13, 2026) — Regional medical response to decline in public‑health doctors

Context and key facts

Large drop in medical public‑health doctors in 2026: total fell from 945 (2025) to 593 (2026), a ~37% decrease.
- Only 98 newly transferred medical public‑health officers this year versus ~450 whose service ends (recruitment ≈ 22% of need).
Main causes:
- Ongoing reduction in military/conscription medical personnel.
- Legislative conflict affecting assignment timing.
- Training/education pipeline gap for new medical officer candidates (delay of ~5–6 years).
Government projection:
- Public‑health doctor numbers may remain roughly 300–500 in the near term.
- Medical access problems in rural/remote areas are expected to persist into the near‑to‑mid term.

Main response package (objectives and measures)

1. Targeted redeployment and concentration of scarce public‑health doctors

Vulnerability analysis identified underserved primary‑care areas (subcenters/branches) and prioritized interventions.
Plans to concentrate limited medical public‑health doctors in highest‑need hubs (public health centers, medical centers and branches): about 459 doctors assigned to these hubs.
In 139 remote local health centers where private care is absent or distant, 159 personnel will be deployed to reduce resident inconvenience.

2. Functional reorganization of local health facilities

393 health centers were assessed for reorganization to maintain core regional functions; local governments submitted plans (151 branches proposed to convert to an “integrated” model).
Conversion options include:
- Some health sub‑centers → health clinics (42 selected sites).
- Regular visiting models (public‑health doctor based at a hub who visits branches).
- Transition to health‑promotion / lifestyle support centers where private clinics exist.
Mid‑to‑long‑term plan: establish regional medical bases that concentrate staff and provide outreach (including home visits), strengthening accessibility through hubs rather than many dispersed, lightly staffed sites.

3. Leverage non‑physician public health workforce and extend roles

There are 1,894 health clinics staffed by trained nurses/midwives (public‑health officials) who can provide basic primary care (first aid, vaccinations).
After training they are authorized to prescribe a defined list (~91 items).
The government will clarify and possibly expand clinical guidelines and permissible minor procedures/prescriptions for these dedicated medical public servants to sustain local care.

4. Remote care, telemedicine and technology

Expand non‑face‑to‑face medical services (telemedicine), remote consultations with regional medical centers, and advisory support (including AI) to improve accuracy and safety.
Develop telemedicine models tailored to rural/elderly populations and provide on‑site assistance (nurses/assistants) for digitally inexperienced patients.
Telemedicine rollout is tied to planned Medical Act changes; specific models are being prepared for implementation after the amendment.

5. Supplementary staffing and programs

Use and expand existing programs: senior‑doctor support, contract/regional doctor pilot projects (mandatory/contract physician systems), mobile medical buses, and outreach patrols from local medical centers.
Budgetary moves:
- Senior‑doctor program funding increased (Q&A figures: previous ≈ 3bn → ≈ 4bn this year; total of 7bn won cited in Q&A).
- Government will seek further budget and personnel‑cost standards through interagency consultation.
Explore linkage with the Ministry of National Defense and medical schools to secure/transition trained personnel and address the reduction in military medical staff.

Implementation timeline and governance

Detailed guidelines for functional reorganization will be published within the month and implementation plans distributed to local governments.
New public‑health doctors deployed this year are expected to begin field assignment in April; reorganization measures will begin then.
Short‑term measures are framed to align with a mid‑to‑long‑term structural reorganization of regional health systems (hub‑and‑spoke model with stronger outreach).

Q&A highlights / concerns raised by reporters

Legal/administrative basis and timing
- Reporters asked how legal differences (e.g., converting a health center to a clinic) will be resolved.
- The ministry: detailed guidelines and local consultations will follow; decisions will consider population, regional medical conditions, and resource distribution.
Workload and quality
- Concerns about increased workload for remaining public‑health doctors and risks to care quality.
- The ministry: concentrate staff at hubs, expand auxiliary staff (nurses/assistants), and increase on‑the‑job training and support.
Scope of practice and prescriptions
- The ministry will consult experts and medical associations and prepare clinical guidelines to define/possibly expand what trained public‑health officials can do safely.
Relations with medical associations
- The ministry reports basic consensus on preventing service gaps but acknowledges potential resistance where private provision is absent; continued consultation is planned.
Use of Korean medicine doctors/dentists
- Considered for promotion‑oriented, non‑overlapping roles — not as full substitutes for medical doctors in scope of practice.
Forecast for recovery of staffing
- The ministry expects training/education lags mean full normalization will take years (mid‑to‑late 2030s uncertain).
- Targeted short‑ and mid‑term measures (contract doctors, senior‑doctor program, pilots) will be used to mitigate gaps sooner.

Bottom line

The ministry acknowledges a serious, immediate shortfall of medical public‑health officers and has launched a multi‑pronged plan:

Prioritize redeployment to vulnerable areas.
Reorganize local health facility functions toward hub models.
Expand and clarify roles of trained non‑physician public‑health staff.
Accelerate telemedicine and mobile/outreach services.
Pursue budgetary and interagency measures (including talks with Defense) to stabilize supply.

Implementation begins with guidelines this month and field changes timed with April deployments, while mid‑to‑long‑term structural reform is pursued.

Presenters / contributors named in the briefing

Jeong Gyeong‑sil — Director, Health and Medical Policy Division, Ministry of Health and Welfare (main presenter)
Lee Moon‑jung — Health Policy Division Director, Ministry of Health and Welfare (participating official)
Lee Yeon‑kyung — Policy Development Director, Korea Health Promotion Institute
Lee Su‑jin (also transcribed as Jang Lee‑sujin) — Director, Regional Health/Regional Security Office
Kim Dong‑ho — interpreter
Yoon In‑ji — interpreter / guardian interpreter

(Reporters and many ministry staff participated in the Q&A; the list above includes the principal named presenters and interpreters cited in the subtitles.)