Fierce Clash Between 'Ruling Party vs Medical Community' Over Medical Law Amendment Bill

On November 25 last year, the 2nd Subcommittee on Bill Examination of the Health and Welfare Committee was held at the National Assembly (Photo by Yonhap News).

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] A fierce battle continues between the ruling party and the medical community over the amendment to the Medical Service Act that cancels the license of doctors sentenced to imprisonment or higher.

On the 22nd, Kim Seong-ju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and stated, "(This amendment to the Medical Service Act) aims to protect good doctors from a very small number of immoral medical professionals who commit serious crimes." Kim is the ruling party's secretary on the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee.

Regarding the excessive legislation controversy raised by the medical community, Kim said, "For lawyers and accountants, all crimes are included. Especially for lawyers, there is permanent license revocation. It is not more severe." He emphasized, "Considering the special characteristics of the medical profession, this is a balanced legislation that is neither excessive nor insufficient."

Park Ju-min, a Democratic Party member who proposed the bill, also explained on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' that "cases of accidental death or injury caused by medical professionals' work, such as surgeries, were actually excluded," and "unlike lawyers or other professions, cases such as bankruptcy due to financial issues were also excluded. So, it has been reduced to a reasonably rational scope."

Regarding claims that this is 'retaliatory legislation' against doctors, Go Young-in, a Democratic Party member, said on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show', "It is not retaliation or tailored to the situation at all," and added, "The law was proposed by several lawmakers. It has been brought up through normal procedures that have been ongoing."

The medical community is also actively expressing their position by appearing on various radio channels on the same day. Kim Dae-ha, spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, said on TBS, "The disqualification grounds for medical professionals, which were previously limited to violations of medical-related laws, are now expanded to cover all laws," and pointed out, "We believe this does not consider the special characteristics of doctors and medical professionals and is problematic."

Kim continued, "Many argue why we oppose applying the same standards as lawyers, but lawyers and doctors are representative professionals with different occupational characteristics," and explained, "(Lawyers) are considered to have the potential to abuse the law and harm public interest, so all crimes are stipulated as disqualification grounds."

Additionally, Kim said, "If a doctor's illegal act is within the medical field, they are naturally punished severely," but "in cases outside the medical field, it is a delicate issue that requires case-by-case examination of whether it violates medical ethics or affects the proper qualifications to perform medical duties."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.