Saturday morning visit to doctor to cost 500 won more

By Kim Se-jeong

Starting today, outpatients will have to pay an extra 500 won in fees at neighborhood clinics when they visit them on Saturday mornings, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Friday.

Previously, patients only had to pay extra for Saturday afternoon visits.

The government adopted the fee increase at the request of doctors who claimed they have to spend more on payroll costs for nurses to work Saturdays.

Under the new system, the fee for a first-time visit to a clinic on Saturday morning will be 4,500 won, up from 4,000 won. From October 2015, the price will go up to 5,000 won, the same amount as the current Saturday afternoon fee.

The new plan will apply to the 28,328 registered clinics that only treat outpatients. Oriental clinics, dentists and pharmacies are included. Pharmacies will charge 200 won more for each prescription. Hospitals and big medical centers that treat inpatients are not part of the plan.

“We want to achieve two goals through the fee increase,” said Lee Yu-ri, a ministry official. “In the past, Saturday morning was not considered as part of the weekend. With the introduction of the five-day workweek system, now Saturday morning is part of the weekend. Demand for extra pay for the Saturday morning shift has been great from nurses and other employees of the clinics.”

Lee also said the ministry hopes the fee hike will encourage clinics to stay open on Saturdays. “We’ve seen the number of clinics open on Saturdays decreasing over the years. And we don’t see that as good,” Lee said.

The new plan comes as good news to the clinics, which have suffered financially. The change is expected to fill a gap in finances, Lee said. More than 20,000 pharmacies across the country will welcome the news as well.

However, the hike may not be good news to most patients.

Lee Sang-jung, 59, a resident in Sungju County, North Gyeongsang Province, said she will now avoid Saturday clinic visits entirely. Since July, she has been visiting an oriental doctor three times a week for treatment of her right knee.

“The amount may sound little, but people like me, who don’t really earn money and see the doctor on a regular basis, it could mean a lot.”

Right now, she pays around 4,000 won for each visit, 30 percent of the entire cost. The remaining 70 percent is covered by the National Health Insurance Service. Buying national health insurance is mandatory for every Korean.