An obstetrics and gynecology delivery room. Yonhap News. 

As the low birth rate remains unresolved, the trend of preferring to give birth at large hospitals to prepare for emergencies has intensified, resulting in 90% of obstetric clinics nationwide recording zero annual deliveries.

According to data received on the 2nd by Representative Kim Mi-ae of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the proportion of obstetric clinics nationwide with zero health insurance claims for annual deliveries reached 88.6% from the beginning of this year through August.

This percentage has been steadily rising from 83.1% in 2019.

In particular, in the Gwangju and Jeonnam regions, every single obstetric clinic recorded zero deliveries for the year.

In Daegu as well, the proportion of clinics with zero annual deliveries reached 98.7% last year, meaning that effectively no clinics in the area were delivering babies.

However, in Sejong, 5 out of 9 obstetric clinics (55.6%) performed at least one delivery per year, and in Gangwon, 14 out of 34 clinics (41.2%) were still delivering babies, showing significant regional disparities.

The low birth rate has played a major role in the disappearance of the sound of newborn cries in local neighborhoods.

According to Statistics Korea, the total fertility rate—the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime—dropped from 0.92 in 2019 to 0.72 in 2023. While the rate rebounded to 0.75 last year, marking the first increase in nine years, there are hopeful expectations that it could reach 0.8 this year.

In addition to the low birth rate, the potential for emergency situations and low medical fees compared to the risks involved are also reasons why medical staff are avoiding obstetric delivery services.

Representative Kim Mi-ae stated, "If the avoidance of essential medical practices becomes entrenched, it could lead to the collapse of the overall medical system in the mid-to-long term."

Yonhap News