Disparity in Health Infrastructure Supporting Pregnancy and Childbirth

Abstract

This study contributes to the limited number of studies on disparity in infrastructures that support pregnancy and childbirth in Korea by examining accessibility through regional distribution, utilization of resources, adequacy of utilization, and birth outcomes. The results of the study suggests that basic services for pregnancy and childbirth need to be made available throughout all regions, in order to ensure the equity of the health infrastructure for pregnancy and childbirth in Korea. Moreover, effort is needed to make quality and specialized care available across regional borders as well. Only through such efforts will the healthcare environment in Korea become more favorable to childbirth and childcare, which will in turn allow Korea to finally begin achieving substantial improvements in its fertility rate.