Ten of South Korea's 16 major administrative regions have no medical facilities to provide palliative care for children and adolescents with serious illnesses and their families. More than half of all such facilities are concentrated in Seoul, drawing criticism over wide regional disparities.
As of the end of last month, 12 facilities nationwide were running the pediatric and adolescent palliative care support program, according to data that Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea, secretary of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, obtained from the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 26th.
By region, Seoul had the most with seven, followed by one each in Gyeonggi, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and South Jeolla. Ten regions — Incheon, Ulsan, Gangwon, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, North Jeolla, North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang, Jeju and Sejong — had none at all.
Pediatric and adolescent palliative care goes beyond simply caring for patients nearing the end of life. Medical specialists work to reduce pain and physical symptoms while also addressing the psychological and social difficulties faced by patients and their families.
The number of facilities providing such care rose from 10 in 2023 to 12 in 2024, but has remained unchanged since. Although the government pledged to expand services under a comprehensive plan for 2024 to 2028, no additional facilities have been added since. This year's funding was set at about 186.8 million won per facility.
The situation was similar when the scope was widened to include hospice care for adults. Of 226 municipalities nationwide, 152, or 67.3%, had no facilities providing related services.
"Pediatric and adolescent palliative care is a system that children with terminal or rare and intractable illnesses and their families urgently need," Seo said. "We must narrow the gap between regions and expand the foundation for service delivery so that people can receive the hospice and palliative care they need regardless of where they live."
