Gov't proposal to scrap requirement separating hospital inpatient rooms by sex draws heavy backlash

A government proposal to scrap a longstanding requirement that hospital inpatient rooms be separated by sex is drawing growing backlash as of Sunday. 

The Health Ministry says the change is intended to better reflect current medical practices and ease caregiving burdens for spouses and family members, but many are concerned it could undermine patient privacy and increase the risk of sexual misconduct.

The notice, proposing changes to the Medical Service Act, was posted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday. While the second provision of the 35th article in the rule stipulates that “inpatient rooms shall be operated separately for men and women,” the proposed amendment would annul that provision. 

In response, several internet users voiced concerns about privacy violations and the potential for sex crimes.

“Hospital rooms are places where patients change clothes and sleep,” some commenters wrote. Others asked, “Are women being told not to seek hospitalization even when they’re sick?”

One widely shared social media post, viewed more than 90,000 times, argued that privacy is often difficult to maintain even in hospital rooms occupied exclusively by patients of the same sex.

More than 4,000 comments had been submitted to the online board of the Ministry of Government Legislation as of Sunday afternoon. Many called for the amendment to be withdrawn and demanded the government “not put unacquainted men and women in the same room.” Some others labeled the policy as “something that should never happen.”

The amendment notice itself has been viewed more than 47,000 times, an unusually high level of attention compared to most proposed regulations, which typically draw only a few thousand views.

As controversy intensified, the Health Ministry released a statement on Friday — just two days after the proposal was announced.

“[The ministry] would prevent the indiscriminate mixing of male and female patients in hospital rooms, a prospect that has raised concerns among critics,” the ministry said. “It will establish a principle of separating adult patients by sex in ordinary hospitalization rooms, while allowing exceptions for married couples or family members sharing a two-person room, intensive care units and pediatric wards through ministry guidelines.”

The ministry cited a “discrepancy between existing regulations and real-world practice” as the reason for the amendment. 

To support its case, the ministry cited a request from the Gwangju city government in April of last year, which said that “sex-based separation placed unnecessary burdens on caregivers.”

“Currently, intensive care units do not separate patients by sex, yet the existing rule technically renders such a practice as a violation,” a Health Ministry official said. “It makes [the current] separation an unnecessary regulation.” 

Under the current legal scheme, hospitals that violate the requirement are first issued a corrective order. Subsequent violations can result in administrative sanctions, including a 15-day suspension of operations.

The ministry also said that other countries do not have regulations requiring hospitals to separate inpatient rooms by sex.

Despite those explanations, the controversy has persisted as the government has maintained its original position on the amendment.

“Even if guidelines are issued, once the requirement is removed from the higher-level regulation, [the separation] will no longer be enforceable,” a comment read on the website of the Ministry of Government Legislation on Sunday.

Concerns are also emerging within the medical community.

“It is unrealistic to operate hospital rooms specifically for spouses or family members in large hospitals that primarily treat serious illnesses,” said a senior official at a major tertiary hospital in Seoul. The official doubted the proposal’s practical usefulness because large hospital wards are typically organized by specialty, and family members are rarely hospitalized in the same ward at the same time.

“If regulatory relief is needed, it should be limited to exceptional cases such as intensive care units and pediatric wards,” another official said. “If the policy is implemented, more patients are likely to opt for private rooms.”

The Health Ministry plans to collect public feedback by next Saturday before finalizing the amendment. The revised rule will take effect immediately upon promulgation.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY CHAE HYE-SEON [[email protected]]