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No. of psychiatrists in Korea remains in lower rank among OECD nations

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By Jun Ji-hye
  • Published KST
  • Updated KST

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The number of psychiatrists per 1,000 people in Korea was far less than the average of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nations due mainly to lack of government investment into mental health services, an opposition lawmaker said Tuesday.

This raises concerns at a time when the number of people suffering from depression has been on the rise, in addition to some criminologists’ evaluation that suspects in recent heinous crimes had mental health problems.

According to data that the Ministry of Health and Welfare submitted to Rep. Kang Eun-mi of the minor opposition Justice Party, the number of psychiatrists per 1,000 people in Korea stood at 0.08 in 2020, significantly below the OECD average of 0.18.

Only three countries had lower numbers than that of Korea ― Mexico with 0.01, Colombia with 0.02 and Turkey with 0.06.

Switzerland had the most psychiatrists per 1,000 people at 0.53.

Rep. Kang attributed the shortage of psychiatrists to insufficient investments by the government into mental health services.

This year, the government budget allocated to that field accounted for only 1.9 percent of the total health budget.

Concerns are centered on a rising number of people suffering from depression, as the number has continued to increase from 752,976 in 2018 to 915,298 in 2021, according to data that Rep. Nam In-soon of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea received from the National Health Insurance Service.

Last year, the number exceeded the 1 million mark for the first time, according to Nam.

Baek Jong-woo, assistant professor of psychiatry at Kyung Hee University Graduate School, said there have been many psychiatrists who deal with acute mental illnesses quitting their jobs due to comparatively lower compensation for treatment difficulties or risk of accidents.

“A system that facilitates early treatment for acute mental illnesses to rehabilitate patients needs to be established,” Baek said.