Regional maternal care centers in Gyeonggi Province are operating below the government’s staffing benchmark even as they receive public funding to handle high-risk pregnancies and intensive neonatal care. Joongbu Ilbo reported that none of three cited centers met the Ministry of Health and Welfare pilot program guideline of four obstetric specialists. Ajou University Hospital had two specialists after one of its three doctors departed, while National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital and Korea University Ansan Hospital each had three.
The staffing shortage has coincided with repeated failures to find hospitals able to accept pregnant patients in emergencies. On October 1, a woman from Anseong who was 35 weeks pregnant was transported to Jeonju after 25 hospitals said they could not receive her. On October 8, a woman from Pyeongtaek with gestational diabetes was flown about 240 kilometers to Changwon after inquiries to 18 hospitals. She gave birth there.
- Anseong case
- Twenty-five hospitals could not accept a patient who was 35 weeks pregnant
- Pyeongtaek case
- Eighteen hospitals were contacted before a roughly 240-kilometer helicopter transfer
- Suwon case
- More than 30 institutions were contacted during an emergency involving twins
A separate case in Suwon the previous month involved a woman pregnant with twins. More than 30 medical institutions were contacted without securing a receiving hospital before she delivered her first child. She was subsequently taken to Ajou University Hospital, where the second twin was born. The cases illustrate how shortages of specialists and available beds can turn time-sensitive obstetric care into long-distance transfers.
Funding has not closed the staffing gap
The pressure extends beyond Gyeonggi Province. Ministry data reviewed in March showed that 11 of South Korea’s 20 regional maternal care centers were below the minimum obstetric specialist standard. The centers can receive 1 billion won for facilities and equipment and 600 million won in annual operating support, but the report said hospitals still face difficulties recruiting specialists because of demanding workloads and the financial burden of maintaining services.
Demand for advanced maternal and neonatal care is also growing. National birth statistics for 2025 showed that 10.8 percent of babies were born before 37 weeks, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous year. Medical professionals cited by the newspaper called for stronger financing focused not only on facilities but also on specialist recruitment and stable operations. Future staffing changes, bed availability and the government’s response to centers below the benchmark will determine whether emergency transfers become less frequent.