The South Korean government has implemented a bold regulatory easing measure to fill the growing medical vacuum in rural and medically vulnerable areas, which have been pushed to the brink of collapse due to a sharp decline in the number of public health doctors. Private practitioners running neighborhood clinics will now be allowed to work "part-time" at nearby public health centers and sub-centers during specific time slots.

According to medical circles and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on May 24, the government recently expanded the scope of its "Temporary Permission for Medical Practices Outside Registered Medical Facilities" policy. The core of this measure is to legally allow medical institution founders—namely private practitioners—to practice medicine at public health institutions, including local public health centers, medical centers, and sub-centers.

Expanding Exceptions to the 'One Institution' Rule to Open Doors to Public Health Centers
Under the current Medical Service Act, physicians are, in principle, restricted to practicing only within the medical institutions they have established. Practicing outside these registered facilities is strictly prohibited except under exceptional circumstances. Previously, to maintain the emergency medical system, the MOHW had exceptionally allowed private practitioners to work only in essential medical departments or emergency rooms of hospital-level institutions.

With this new measure, however, the scope has been significantly broadened to include local public health institutions. Consequently, private practitioners can now provide medical services at public health centers on alternating days, specific days of the week, or during afternoon hours, provided it does not disrupt their own clinic operations. This eased regulation took effect immediately this month and will remain in place indefinitely until further notice.

Disparity in Service Length Compounded by Medical Standoff: Public Health Doctor Numbers Plunge to All-Time Low
The government’s decision to wield such an unprecedented card stems from a drastic shortage of public health doctors, who have long served as the backbone of primary care in farming and fishing villages.

The decline in public health doctors is a chronic issue. While the mandatory service period for active-duty army soldiers has been shortened to 18 months, public health doctors must still serve 36 months (excluding basic training). This gap has led medical students to overwhelmingly prefer serving as active-duty soldiers. The rising proportion of female students in medical schools has also contributed to the shrinking pool of candidates.

The decisive blow, however, came from the prolonged conflict between the government and the medical community that began in 2024. A chain reaction of mass leave of absences among medical students, enlistment in active-duty military service, and disruptions in resident training led to a record-low number of newly appointed public health doctors this year. Faced with an unprecedented crisis where numerous rural health sub-centers were forced to close due to a lack of doctors, the government resorted to transfusing private medical resources into the public sector.

Telemedicine Expansion Deployed Simultaneously to Safeguard the Regional Medical Safety Net
In addition to permitting private practitioners to work at public health centers, the MOHW is simultaneously mobilizing multifaceted strategies to address the manpower shortage. The ministry plans to prioritize the relocation of the remaining public health doctors to the most vulnerable areas, while aggressively expanding "itinerant medical services" (roving clinics) and "telemedicine" leveraging information and communication technology (ICT).

An official from the MOHW stated in an official notice distributed through the Korean Hospital Association, "This measure is an inevitable and urgent decision to resolve the medical vacuum in rural areas triggered by the reduction of public health doctors. We will put forth our utmost efforts to ensure that residents in vulnerable areas do not lose access to medical care by closely cooperating with the private medical sector."

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