'Senior Medical Workforce Utilization Plan' National Assembly Forum for Medically Underserved Areas to Be Held

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As a plan to deploy retired senior medical personnel to regional public medical institutions and other medically underserved areas gains attention, a related National Assembly forum will be held.

The Korean Medical Association announced on the 25th that it will hold the "National Assembly Forum on Utilizing Senior Medical Personnel for Medically Underserved Areas" on the morning of the 3rd of next month in the small conference room of the National Assembly Library.

This forum is co-hosted by Democratic Party lawmakers Kang Hoon-sik, Kim Min-seok, and Shin Hyun-young, People Power Party lawmaker Jo Myung-hee, and the Korean Medical Association, and jointly organized by the Korean Medical Association and the National Medical Center.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the role of public hospitals as responsible institutions for providing essential medical care has been emphasized, and there is a need to establish measures to secure specialized medical personnel to stabilize the medical system.

This forum is expected to be the first public discussion platform to hear expert opinions from various fields on the "Senior (Retired) Doctor Matching Pilot Project," which is being reviewed by the medical community to enable senior or retired doctors to work at regional public hospitals.

Lee Pil-soo, president of the Korean Medical Association, said, "The utilization plan for senior doctors has been discussed for a long time, but recently it has developed into a key alternative to resolve manpower shortages in public medical institutions in response to the post-COVID era," adding, "I hope that this forum will lead to practical alternatives for the stable placement of medical personnel in public medical institutions."

The presentation at this forum will be given by Lim Joon, head of the Public Health and Medical Service Headquarters at the National Medical Center, on the topic of "Proposal for the Senior Doctor Regional Public Medical Institution Matching Project." Following this, discussants will include Cho Seung-yeon, president of the National Association of Local Medical Centers; Jung Jae-won, policy director of the Korean Medical Association; Kim Kwang-il, professor at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital; Lee Kyung-soo, professor at Yeungnam University College of Medicine; Yoon Myung, secretary-general of the Consumer Citizens' Organization; and Shin Wook-soo, director of the Public Medical Service Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The chair and moderator roles will be held by Korean Medical Association Vice President Baek Hyun-wook and Social Participation Director Yang Hye-ran, respectively.

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