지자체 내 적정 노인의료복지시설과 요양병원의 규모산정에 관한 연구

Abstract

In Korea, a growing number of the elderly need long-term recuperation due to rapid transition to aged society amid the shift in nation's population structure. The number of elderly medical welfare facilities has soared since the launch of elderly recuperation insurance in 2008, reaching 60.4 per 1,000 persons (OECD Health Statistics 2021) which outnumbers OECD average of 45.6 per 1,000 persons. Users of long-term recuperation service are rarely receiving recuperation services in the area of residence, resulting in regional imbalance.
 The average number of nursing hospitals per capita is 460 days, and Nursing homes have the task of calculating and distributing the appropriate regional beds and nursing beds for local coexistence according to the situation exceeding 904 days (data submitted to the National Assembly, 2019. 8.).
 If optimal number of sickbeds and recuperative beds in the area of residence is secured, it would increase comfort of the elderly from environmental aspect as the care available from the place of residence can be felt more reliable. From financial aspect of local governments, various positive aspects can be expected, such as an increase in job creation within region and prevention of outflux of supporting expenses due to the pricing for elderly recuperation, when medical insurance and recuperative reimbursements, allocated within region, can be used within the region.
 Thus, this study was intended to determine current number of sickbeds of existing recuperative hospitals and recuperative beds of medical welfare facilities in Gangbuk-gu in order to estimate the ratio of facility distribution among recuperative hospitals and medical welfare facilities in Gangbuk-gu, and based on that, and if the national target of facility admission rate is 3.35% and the OECD average of 5.5%, 732 and 1,985 sickbeds and beds, respectively, must be met, the number of nursing hospitals is 5~10 based on the number of 186 beds(admission rate is 3.25 ~ 5.5%), and elderly medical welfare facilities are smaller than nursing hospitals, so the number of facilities is estimated to be higher. This is significant in that it presents related characteristics and basic course for ensuring optimal sickbeds and appropriate facility formation by region in each local government, as well as Gangbuk-gu, thereby formulating basic methodology for regional balance.