[Exclusive] Spent 2 hours in car searching for pharmacy…only 6 ‘public late-night pharmacies’ in Gangwon Province 심야에 갑자기 아프거나, 필요한 약이 있는데 집 근처에 마땅한 약국이 없는 경우. 많은 사람이 겪는 고충이다. 이런 불편을 해소하고자 정부는 2019년부터 공공심야약국을 운영하고 있다. When you suddenly feel unwell at night or need a certain medication but there isn't a suitable pharmacy near your home, many people face this problem. To alleviate this inconvenience, the government has been operating public late-night pharmacies since 2019. 하지만 강원도에 공공심야약국이 고작 6곳에 불과한 것으로 나타났다. However, it was found that there are only 6 public late-night pharmacies in Gangwon Province. 23일 더불어민주당 이수진 의원실이 보건복지부와 각 지방자치단체에서 제출받은 자료에 따르면, 강원도에 공공심야약국이 6곳 운영 중인 것으로 확인됐다. On the 23rd, Rep. Lee Su-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea's office received data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and each local government, which confirmed that 6 public late-night pharmacies are operating in Gangwon Province. 광역 시·도 중에선 인천(18곳), 서울(18곳), 경기(17곳), 부산(13곳), 대구(12곳), 대전(11곳), 광주(10곳), 울산(8곳), 세종(6곳), 제주(6곳) 등은 공공심야약국이 6곳 이상 운영되고 있다. Among metropolitan cities and provinces, Incheon (18), Seoul (18), Gyeonggi (17), Busan (13), Daegu (12), Daejeon (11), Gwangju (10), Ulsan (8), Sejong (6), and Jeju (6) have more than 6 public late-night pharmacies operating. 그러나 강원도를 비롯해 충북(5곳), 전북(5곳), 전남(4곳), 경북(4곳), 경남(3곳), 충남(2곳), 충북(2곳), 강원(1곳), 제주(1곳) 등 9개 시·도는 5곳 이하의 공공심야약국만 운영 중이다. However, 9 provinces and cities, including Gangwon, Chungbuk (5), Jeonbuk (5), Jeonnam (4), Gyeongbuk (4), Gyeongnam (3), Chungnam (2), Jeju (1), and Gangwon (1) have fewer than 5 public late-night pharmacies operating. 특히 강원도는 도내 18개 시·군 중 12개 시·군에 공공심야약국이 단 한 곳도 없다. In particular, 12 out of 18 cities and counties in Gangwon Province have no public late-night pharmacies. 이 의원은 “공공심야약국이 시·도민의 건강을 책임지는 중요한 역할을 하고 있지만, 지역 간 편차가 크다”며 “국민의 건강권을 보장하기 위해 광역자치단체와 시·군·구 단위에서 적극적으로 공공심야약국을 확대해야 한다”고 말했다. Rep. Lee said, “Public late-night pharmacies play an important role in taking responsibility for the health of people in cities and provinces, but there is a large disparity between regions. To ensure people's right to health, public late-night pharmacies should be actively expanded at the level of metropolitan governments and cities, counties, and districts.”
In a remote corner of Gangwon Province, a lone pharmacist named Kim G has been toiling to find a private pharmacy open late into the night. This is no easy task, as Kim explains, "Finding a pharmacy open late in these areas can be extremely difficult." Gangwon Province is home to just six such pharmacies, including Kim's own, which operates from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with a two-hour break where it closes at 10 p.m. and reopens at 1 a.m. the next day.
Kim's daily grind is akin to a solitary quest, as he has no support in finding additional pharmacists willing to brave the night shift. Even with subsidies, Kim's pharmacy cannot sustain the higher operating costs of night shifts. Despite government efforts to establish such pharmacies nationwide, only around 200 exist out of a total of 240, with more pronounced disparities between regions.
Gangwon Province, home to 10 medically vulnerable areas, stands out with only six such pharmacies. The government currently offers a meager subsidy of 40,000-60,000 won per night for these pharmacies, which often forces pharmacies to operate around the clock with a single pharmacist working 14-hour days. Experts argue that a more robust government commitment and support is needed to expand the availability of pharmacies open late into the night.
Written by urgent.news from Hankyoreh's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
