SEOUL-- President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a children's hospital Wednesday and instructed the government to push measures to address the shortage of pediatric centers and professionals in the country.

Yoon visited Seoul National University Children's Hospital where he met with patients in the pediatric ward and held a discussion with hospital officials on ways to improve and expand treatment for children.

South Korea has seen a lack of pediatric centers and professionals amid falling birthrates and the reluctance of medical residents to apply for the field due to its relatively heavy workload and low pay.

"It is the state's top priority to look after children's health," Yoon was quoted as saying by senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye. "Relevant ministries should not spare any of the necessary resources."

Yoon said it is more important than anything to expand emergency medical services for children and increase the number of pediatric personnel, and promised to push to improve compensation for such services, according to Kim.

He also vowed to look into current legal regulations to remove the restriction on the number of pediatric doctors and nurses hired by national university hospitals, and to include pediatric services as a key metric in evaluations of large general hospitals.

Yoon instructed the health minister and the senior presidential secretary for social affairs to speedily push the measures, act on the recommendations of medical professionals and experts at Wednesday's meeting and report back to him on the results, Kim said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency