1 in 10 can’t afford to see doctor

By Kim Tong-hyung

Government officials tout Korea’s arrival as a rich nation but growing concern over health inequality paints a contrasting picture.

At least one out of 10 Koreans was unable to see a doctor when sick last year and many of them were incapable of paying for even the most basic medical services, according to a survey released by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Suburban towns had more people failing to visit hospitals than large urban areas, essentially consistent with the disparity in income levels here.

“We didn’t break down the statistics on a national scale, so it’s difficult to say exactly how many Korean people are unable to afford medical services due to financial reasons. But you can roughly say that of the people who are unable to go to hospitals, one out of three was unable to do so because they didn’t have the money,” said an official from the CDC’s chronic disease research division.

“There are a lot of reasons why people failed to go to hospital: some just can’t find time because of work commitments, others have to stay home to take care of children, and some are just too ill to continue treatment. However, economic reasons are clearly affecting the largest number of people.”

The “missed treatment rate,” or the proportion of the population failing to receive necessary medical treatment, ranged between 11 and 20 percent in Korean cities, the CDC said.

Financial problems were behind 45.7 percent of the missed treatments in South Jeolla Province, the highest in the nation. The rate was below 30 percent in only three regions — Gwangju, North Chungcheong Province and Ulsan.

Health inequalities between the rich and poor manifested clearly in Seoul as well. The rate of missed treatments ranged from 40 to 48 percent in major downtown districts like Jung-gu and Jongno-gu, compared to the 20-something figures of more affluent southern Seoul areas like Gangnam-gu and Seocho-gu.

Older people are spending a greater proportion of their lives unwell, according to the survey. Of people living in Seoul, the missed treatment rate for residents under-40 was below 20 percent. The figure rose to 33.4 percent for those in their 40s, 55 percent for those in their 50s, and more than 70 percent for those above 60.

The large number of people incapable of receiving medical treatment is a black spot for policymakers who had celebrated the country’s supposedly strengthened position in the world. Korea’s gross national income (GNI) per person returned to the $20,000 threshold last year for the first time since 2007, a level exceeded by only nine other nations with a population over 20 million, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK).

It could be said that the changes had more to do with a fluctuation in foreign exchange rates rather than improved economic growth and living standards.

During the worst period of the financial crisis, the Korean won depreciated dramatically against the dollar, dropping to as low as 1,570.3 won in March 2009. This had much to do with the GNI per person falling below $20,000 in 2008 and 2009.

However, the won has appreciated since then, with the dollar remaining in the 1,100 won area, allowing policymakers to talk about the $20,000 mark again.

Despite the gaudy superficial numbers, the Korean economy continues to struggle to create new jobs and there is also increasing concern over the widening income gap. The Gini coefficient, which is used to measure the concentration of wealth, with zero signifying perfect equality and 1 meaning inequality, reached 0.319 for Korean households last year.

돈없어 병원 못가는 환자 많아

한국의 경제는 지속적으로 성장하고 있지만 건강불평등의 문제는 해소되고 있지 않은 듯하다.

질병관리본부의 통계에 따르면 시/도별 필요의료서비스 미치료율은 11-20%로 나타났다. 특히 이 가운데 돈이 없어 치료를 받지 못한 사람의 비율을 의미하는 '경제적 이유로 인한 미치료율'은 최소 27.7%, 최대 45.7%에 달했으며 지역별로는 전남이 45.7%로 가장 높았다. 30%를 밑도는 곳은 광주, 대전, 충북, 울산 등 4곳에 불과.