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Amid the clamor about Korea’s
low birth rate, women who cannot, rather than do not want to, have chil=
dren
are being forgotten.
One out of seven Korean couples suffers infertility and four out of 10
pregnant women experience miscarriages, but few hospitals provide quali=
ty
services for them. Even large institutions like university hospitals sh=
ow
little concern for them.
The Chosun Ilbo found that none of the country’s Top 10 hospitals=
has
a special examination room for women who miscarry, let alone a special
delivery room, with the result that sufferers find their plight brutally
brought home by being treated next to healthy mothers and surrounded by
newborn babies. Although most of them have an infertility clinic, only
three have a separate waiting room and examination room.
Asked why not, most hospitals offer the same answer: that it is unreali=
stic
to provide separate facilities for the “small” number of
sufferers. “Whether patients have problems with miscarriage,
infertility and delivery, they are all the same to doctors,” a
hospital official said. “So there is no reason to use separate ro=
oms.
Moreover, most patients are normal pregnant women and only a fraction of
patients have problems.”
That is not necessarily true. At the request of infertile women, Gangseo
MizMedi launched a separate facility this month. “With a little
consideration from the doctors, patients can be spared uncomfortable
moments such as being injected for a miscarriage operation at an inject=
ion
room with new-born babies or having the operation in a delivery
room,” the hospital said.
Bundang <=
st1:PlaceName
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al
also set up a special OR for patients who miscarry. A chief nurse at the
hospital said, “It does not take much money to show some
consideration for infertile patients such as arranging a separate entra=
nce
or OR and recovery rooms.” The biggest problem is the attitude of=
nurses
and doctors whose professionalism does not include empathy with patient=
s,
she said, with the result being insult added to injury.
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