Gyeonggi-do to Conduct Comprehensive Inspection of Animal Hospitals Including Posting of Medical Fees Starting from the 25th

Gyeonggi Province will begin inspecting the operation status of animal hospitals starting from the 25th of this month.

With the implementation of the veterinary clinic fee posting system for single-veterinarian animal hospitals scheduled for January next year, Gyeonggi Province will conduct a preliminary comprehensive inspection of 389 animal hospitals from the 25th of this month to the 31st of next month to check their operational status.

The Veterinary Act, which came into effect on January 4th this year, mandates the expansion of the "fee posting system for major animal medical services" to include single-veterinarian animal hospitals starting January 5, 2024.

Accordingly, Gyeonggi Province plans to select inspection targets by city and county and visit them to verify overall operational compliance, including adherence to the Veterinary Act by animal hospitals, ahead of the system's implementation.

The key inspection items include ▲ posting of consultation and other medical fees ▲ explanation and consent for major treatments such as surgeries ▲ matters related to the veterinary prescription management system ▲ proper issuance of prescriptions ▲ recording and preservation of medical records ▲ and checking for false or exaggerated advertising.

If any legal violations are found during the comprehensive inspection, administrative actions will be taken in accordance with relevant regulations.

Animal hospitals excluded from the inspection will be simultaneously promoted and guided on the revised Veterinary Act-related system through phone calls or other means during the inspection period.

Kim Jong-hoon, Director of the Livestock Animal Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Although veterinary fees were publicly disclosed nationwide for the first time last August, it was limited to animal hospitals with two or more veterinarians, which had its limitations. We expect that expanding this to all animal hospitals next year will help consumers make more rational hospital choices."

As of September 2023, there are 5,270 animal hospitals nationwide, with 1,295 located in Gyeonggi Province. By city and county, Seongnam has the highest number with 116, followed by Goyang City (114), Suwon City (113), and Yongin City (112).

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