Health Disparities
Has Accessibility to Healthcare Institutions for People with Disabilities Improved? A Comparative Study of All 213 Healthcare Facilities in Jongno District, Seoul (2003–2025) Jaechan Yoon* Jin Yong Lee Lee Lee Seoul National University College of Medicine
Introduction:
Equal access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, yet people with disabilities continue to face substantial mobility barriers. In Korea, national legislation has mandated accessibility standards for healthcare facilities since 1997. However, the extent to which this long-standing policy intervention has translated into population-level improvements in functional accessibility, beyond mere installation, remains unclear. This study evaluated long-term changes in healthcare facility accessibility by comparing installation and adequacy rates of legally mandated accessibility features between 2003 and 2025.
Methods:
An on-site assessment was conducted between December 22 and December 31, 2025, across all 213 healthcare institutions in Jongno district, Seoul. Trained assessors evaluated ten accessibility criteria specified by law, including access routes, parking, entrances, vertical circulation, restrooms, tactile paving blocks, and reception counters. Installation and adequacy rates—defined as full compliance with legal standards—were calculated at the population level and compared with 2003 baseline data.
Results:
Overall installation rates increased substantially from 70.0% in 2003 to 93.1% in 2025, whereas adequacy rates improved only modestly (31.2% to 37.8%). Installation increased markedly for tactile paving blocks (3.8% to 100%), elevators (28.4% to 85.0%), and main entrance access routes (31.3% to 85.9%). In contrast, adequacy improvements were uneven: accessible parking, elevators, and restrooms improved, while adequacy declined for stairs and entrances and remained consistently low for reception counters. Several features were widely installed but did not meet legal specifications.
Conclusions:
Korea has achieved substantial and measurable progress in expanding the installation of accessibility features in healthcare institutions. However, limited gains in adequacy indicate that current legislation has been more effective in promoting coverage than ensuring functional usability. Building on these achievements, future policies should strengthen adequacy standards aligned with universal design principles to ensure meaningful and equitable access to healthcare.