Medical industry suffers brain drain

By Kim Jae-won

A growing number of young Korean doctors and nurses are leaving for the United States in pursuit of better working conditions, raising concerns that their exodus could eviscerate the local medical industry.

According to USMLE Master, an Internet community preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), its total membership reached 19,943 as of Wednesday, up from 9,479 in 2004.

“Many young Korean doctors dream of treating patients in the U.S. because the quality of life for American doctors is much better than here,” said Jang Jun-hee, CEO of GMES Consulting, a Seoul-based private institution that specializes in tuition for people preparing to take the USMLE.

“For instance, American doctors see 10 to 15 patients per day, far less than their Korean counterparts who treat 80 to 100 patients every day.”

Tough competition in the local medical industry is another reason driving young doctors to emigrate to the U.S.

Industry sources say that there is a yearly average of 60-80 doctors who leave the country to work in foreign countries, while 60-70 nurses annually head to foreign nations.

The nation’s medical practices are centered in big general hospitals and university medical centers, leaving little room for small clinics to survive.

This fierce competition is forcing some small hospitals out of business, and in turn driving medical human resources out of the county, experts noted.

Experts point out that if the brain drain in the medical industry continues, it might put the brakes on the government’s plan to transform the country into an Asian hub for medical tourism.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has geared up to attract more foreign patients from foreign countries, investing in tens of billions of won every year.

Observers say that the exodus of medical experts will adversely affect the country given that it is already suffering from a personnel shortage.

According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Korea was 2.0 in 2011, the third lowest among OECD countries after Chile and Turkey. It was also well below the 2011 OECD average of 3.2.

The number of nurses per capita in Korea also remained much lower than in most other OECD countries. It was 4.7 per 1,000 populations in 2011, compared to an OECD average of 8.7.