2023-04-19 05:15:39
The Korean Stroke Society held a press conference on the 19th
In 2023, only 5 full-time applicants nationwide
“It is clear that the number of stroke specialists will be insufficient within 5 to 10 years”
“Need to improve the treatment of full-time stroke officers, such as normalizing the number of patients”
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“Just 15 years ago, stroke was a very popular part. I too went through fierce competition to become a full-time stroke doctor.
At a press conference held on the 19th at the Westin Chosun Hotel Seoul, Kim Tae-jeong, public relations director of the Korean Stroke Society (Professor of Neurology at Seoul National University Hospital), said, “There is a serious shortage of stroke specialists. Knowing this, it is difficult to recommend juniors to apply for a stroke specialist in the current situation,” he said calmly.
According to the society, only 5 out of 83 people who passed the neurologist exam this year applied to become full-time stroke doctors. As of 2023, there are only 14 full-time neurologists working at 84 stroke centers nationwide. Compared to 2018 (29 people), it was cut in half in 5 years. Out of 14 regional cardiovascular and cerebrovascular centers that should be in charge of treating stroke and other serious emergencies, only one is Seoul National University Bundang Hospital where a full-time doctor works. Due to the severe shortage of residents, the number of university hospitals and training hospitals where professors are on duty is increasing.
The society finds the root cause of young doctors avoiding ‘stroke specialists’ in ‘low prices’. The hospitalization fee for a general hospital-level stroke intensive care unit is KRW 133,320, which is lower than KRW 171,360 for a general department with a six-person room for integrated nursing care service. Currently, the management fee for intravenous thrombolysis, an essential treatment for acute cerebral infarction, is about 190,000 won, which is less than half of the cost (about 500,000 won) incurred when receiving the same procedure in a foreign country.
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Given the circumstances, the treatment of full-time stroke doctors cannot be good. The reality of full-time stroke doctors is that even if they stand on call (call duty) while answering the ringing phone all night whenever a suspected stroke patient occurs, in most hospitals, the on-call fee itself is not paid. The work allowance for a 24-hour stroke intensive care unit is 27,730 won, which is less than 1,000 won per hour, let alone the minimum wage.
Cha Jae-gwan, chairman of the Quality Improvement Committee of the Korean Stroke Society (Professor of Neurology at Dong-A University Hospital), said, “I am 58 years old, and I am on duty with a professor who is 4 years younger than me. There were five of them, and one of them was given intravenous thrombolytics (tPA),” he said. It seems too harsh to force them to endure.” It is pointed out that such deformed medical fees are leading to a shortage of specialists for essential severely ill patients.
Lee Gyeong-bok, policy director of the Korean Stroke Society (Professor of Neurology at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital), said, “If current trends continue, there will be an absolute shortage of stroke specialists who need to treat 100,000 stroke patients per year in 5-10 years.” Improvements and new establishments are urgently needed.” The stroke intensive care unit fee should be raised at least 1.5 times higher than the nursing care integrated ward fee, and the disproportionately low tPA fee compared to foreign countries should be improved, and the stroke treatment fee, observation fee, and duty fee should be guaranteed.
Bae Hee-joon, chairman of the Korean Stroke Society (professor of neurology at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital), said, “Who wants to live with a permanent disability after a stroke? It is absolutely necessary to have a policy that supports not only life extension but also minimization of aftereffects,” he stressed.
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