Announcement of 'Pediatric Care System Measures' Amid Suspension of Legislative Consultations... Concerns Over Half-Hearted Approach

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyuhong is announcing measures to improve the pediatric medical system on the 22nd. [Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Amid the suspension of government-medical council consultations following the National Assembly's decision to directly refer the Nursing Act bill to the plenary session, the government has once again presented measures to address the crisis in pediatric and adolescent medical care. However, the fundamental issues such as the shortage of personnel remain unresolved, and many parts require consultation with the medical community, leading to evaluations that the measures are essentially 'half-baked.'

The 'Pediatric Medical System Improvement Measures' announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 22nd were made as an extension of the recently announced essential medical support measures. While maintaining the overall framework of the existing measures, some specific new projects and supplementary measures were included. Plans include the phased expansion of the Children's Public Specialized Medical Centers, currently installed in 10 locations, by designating 4 additional centers, along with increased budget support for facilities and equipment. Additionally, the number of pediatric specialized emergency medical centers, currently at 8, will be increased to 12, focusing on regions without such centers, and there are plans to increase the pediatric inpatient care fee.

However, no significant progress has been made in the urgent issue of recruiting and training pediatric and adolescent medical personnel. Although measures such as improving working conditions for residents and increasing medical school quotas were proposed, these are issues that have been raised before and are considered insufficient as practical solutions for personnel shortages. Due to low birth rates and the unpopularity of certain specialties, pediatricians are in absolute shortage. According to the '2023 First Half Resident Recruitment' data submitted to Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Health and Welfare Committee of the National Assembly from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among 50 university hospitals with pediatric residency quotas, Seoul National University Hospital was the only one to fill its quota. Moreover, 38 hospitals failed to secure even a single pediatric resident.

The problem lies in the fact that the 'government-medical council consultations' to discuss these issues have come to a halt. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) suspended consultations in protest after the Health and Welfare Committee decided to directly refer the Nursing Act bill and the so-called 'license revocation law' to the plenary session. Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong explained during a briefing that regarding the increase in medical school quotas, "We are approaching this from the perspective of expanding the insufficient medical workforce and resolving regional and specialty imbalances," adding, "We are reviewing the medical school quota size that best fits these principles and will promptly negotiate once the government-medical council consultations resume."

It seems difficult for the government-medical council consultations to resume in the short term. The KMA recently held an extraordinary general meeting and decided to form an emergency response committee, with plans to elect the committee chairperson through a vote on the 23rd. It is uncertain whether the KMA, which has shifted to a hardline stance, will return to the negotiation table. This creates an environment where concrete consultations or alternatives for increasing pediatric medical personnel cannot emerge. The government maintains that discussions on essential medical care must proceed independently of the KMA emergency committee's activities. Lim In-taek, Director of Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The medical issue consultation body is currently suspended, but I think it is necessary to separate discussions with the emergency committee and the consultation body," adding, "We will work to promptly resume and discuss the various tasks that were being discussed in the consultation body."

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