Assemblyman Kim Won-i Publishes Policy Book Based on National Audit Presentation Materials

Survey Results and Policy Directions on Foreign Substances in Delivery Food and the Foreign Substance Notification System

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seung-hyun Jeong] Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Health and Welfare Committee, Mokpo City), has published a booklet containing major policy proposals announced during this year's National Assembly inspection.

This booklet is composed of two volumes, focusing on the themes of "Awareness of Hygiene Issues in Delivery App Food and Its Aftermath" and "The Actual Condition of Note Prescriptions and Policy Proposals."

First, the policy booklet related to delivery apps contains the results of a public opinion survey on the hygiene of delivery food and policy alternatives, following last year.

According to a survey conducted from October 13 to 15 among 1,000 adult men and women nationwide, 22.8% (228 respondents) answered that they had experienced finding foreign substances in food ordered through delivery apps such as Baedal Minjok, showing a 3% increase compared to last year's survey.

However, only 10.4% (104 respondents) were aware of the delivery app foreign substance notification system. Although this is a 1.9% increase from last year's survey, most consumers still do not know that such a system exists.

Rep. Kim stated, "Delivery food has been criticized because consumers cannot verify the hygiene status or cooking process of restaurants," and suggested a new policy direction, saying, "The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety must establish a food hygiene safety management system suitable for the era of popularization of delivery apps."

Meanwhile, the booklet on note prescriptions diagnoses problems based on a survey conducted among pharmacists nationwide and proposes alternatives through amendments to the Medical Service Act.

Note prescriptions refer to the practice of issuing a separate paper to patients, indicating that they must purchase health functional foods, etc., which can be bought at the individual's discretion without a doctor's prescription. Although there have been continuous allegations of rebates given to prescribing medical staff, it is pointed out as a "blind spot" in enforcement because current medical law does not allow punishment for rebates.

In this regard, Rep. Kim Won-i and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association conducted a survey from September 14 to 16 targeting 2,079 pharmacists nationwide.

Among 2,055 respondents, 27.2% (559 pharmacists) reported having received note prescriptions from hospitals or clinics within the last five years. Additionally, 25.6% (527 respondents) said they had heard of it but had not personally experienced it, meaning that more than half of the survey participants had either directly experienced or heard of note prescriptions.

When asked about the items prescribed via note prescriptions, health functional foods were the most frequently mentioned, and it was confirmed that such prescriptions are often issued in departments such as ophthalmology and internal medicine.

Rep. Kim Won-i proposed a policy alternative to address the blind spots in current law by introducing a bill to amend the Medical Service Act to punish medical staff who receive kickbacks in exchange for health functional food note prescriptions as rebates under the Medical Service Act.

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