Disappearing obstetrics and gynecology: rural mothers forced to travel for childbirth

[Anchor]

Although policies and support for pregnant women are gradually increasing, the number of areas lacking in childbirth services is actually on the rise.

In particular, mothers in rural areas are facing challenges due to a shortage of obstetric facilities, requiring them to travel to other regions for childbirth, highlighting the need for improvement.

Next, we have Son Min-joo with the report.

[Report]

Jeong Ji-an is taking care of her one-month-old daughter at a postpartum care center.

She lives on Soando Island in Wando, Jeollanam-do Province, but gave birth to her daughter at an obstetrics clinic in Gwangju.

She was admitted a week before her scheduled cesarean section.

[Jeong Ji-an/Wando resident: "It takes about three hours by boat to get to Gwangju. The round trip takes six hours a day, and since I don't know when I will go into labor..."]

There is an obstetrics clinic in Wando, but it cannot deliver babies.

This is because the number of births has decreased here, leading to a halt in deliveries since 2010.

[Jeon Yi-yang/Director of Daesung Hospital, Wando, Jeollanam-do Province: "The number of births has dropped to about 10 a month, so we can't operate."]

The number of institutions capable of childbirth, such as general hospitals and large hospitals in major cities, has decreased by 35% over the past decade.

This facility was one of the larger maternity hospitals in Gwangju, but due to a decline in the birth rate, it closed last year after 17 years of operation.

The situation is even worse for small obstetrics clinics.

Among the 1,300 local obstetrics clinics nationwide, 88.4% had not billed for childbirth services as of July this year.

Nearly 9 out of 10 clinics have not performed any deliveries.

Among the 250 cities and counties nationwide, there are over 60 county-level local governments without any obstetrics clinics.

[Na Ha-na/Wando resident: "At one point, I blamed my area. Because in cities or well-developed places, they can easily access services right in front of their homes..."]

The government has continuously implemented support policies for obstetrics clinics, but the number of areas lacking childbirth services has doubled last year from 52 in 2011.

This is KBS News, Son Min-joo.