Although the number of participants in the pilot project for health and dentistry for the disabled has increased over the past five years, the participation rate is still less than 1%

Sep 19, 2025

Although the number of participants in the pilot project for health and dentistry for the disabled has increased over the past five years, the participation rate is still less than 1%
◇Status of pilot projects for disabled health and dentistry for the past five years (2021-2025). Data = Ministry of Health and Welfare, Rep. Mi-hwa Seo's office reorganization



Over the past five years, the number of disabled people and their doctors participating in the pilot project for the health and dentistry of the disabled has been on the rise, but the scale of participation compared to the total disabled population is still low.

According to an analysis of data submitted by Seo Mi-hwa (Democratic Party of Korea), a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, 9,211 people with disabilities participated in the pilot project of health doctors for the disabled, 698 participating doctors, 5,159 people with disabilities and 778 participating doctors as of the end of August 2025.

The number of disabled people participating in the pilot project of health doctors for the disabled has steadily increased to ▲1,652 in 2021, ▲2, 2450 in 2022, ▲3,608 in 2023, ▲6897 in 2024, and ▲2,911 in 2025. During the same period, the number of participating family doctors increased to 549 in ▲ 2021, 658 in ▲ 2022, 675 in ▲ 2023, and 703 in ▲ 2024, but decreased slightly to 698 in ▲ 2025.




The number of disabled people participating in the dentist pilot project increased to 237 in ▲ 2021, 300 in ▲ 2022, 343 in ▲ 2023, 2479 in ▲ 2024, and 5,159 in ▲ 2025, and the number of participating doctors also increased to 70 in ▲ 2021, 73 in ▲ 2022, 68 in ▲ 2023, 474 in ▲ 2024, and 778 in ▲ 2025.

However, considering that the total number of registered disabled people is 2.63 million, the number of disabled people who participated in the family doctor pilot project is less than 1%.

Representative Seo Mi-hwa pointed out that "the current system of family doctors for persons with disabilities is less effective for those who are in dire need of medical support, such as those with severe, female, developmental, and overlapping disabilities. The limitations of the system are more pronounced due to the lack of participation in doctors, the limitations of access to specialized medical treatment such as obstetrics and gynecology, and the difficulty of communicating and accessing people with developmental and overlapping disabilities." The Ministry of Health and Welfare should improve the overall system, including the matching of family doctors reflecting the characteristics of disabilities and the realization of the number of family doctors," he stressed.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.