Korea has more hospitals than the OECD average, but they are staffed below the normal rate, raising concerns over the quality of the country’s medical services.

According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, there are 81,681 medical facilities nationwide, including hospitals, clinics, public healthcare centers, maternity nursing care centers, dentists, pharmacies and Oriental medical centers. The figure is equivalent to 58.5 facilities per every million people, well exceeding the OECD average of 31.03.

The number of dental hospitals, Oriental medical centers as well as nursing homes significantly increased between 2000 and 2010, reflecting the need for wellbeing in an aging society, the institute said.

However, the number of medical staff is still well below the OECD average. There are 2.01 doctors per 1,000 people in Korea while the OECD average is 3.11.

For the number of nurses, the figure was starker: Korea marked 2.37 per every 1,000, less than half the OECD average of 6.74.

However, the HIRAS said that the figures may not necessarily translate into low quality medical services in Korea.

“The number of medical staff has been on a constant rise since 2000. Over the period, doctors have increased by 14.1 percent and nurses by 15.8 percent. If we continue to keep this pace, the shortage will be settled,” Choi In-aug, an HIRA official, said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)