Yoon: "We Will Rebuild Collapsed Medical Services... Foster National University Hospitals as Essential Medical Care Hubs" (Update)

President Yoon Chairs Essential Medical Innovation Strategy Meeting at Chungbuk National University
"Adjustment of Insurance Fees and Reform of Compensation System Needed to Attract Workforce in Essential Fields"

President Yoon Suk-yeol declared on the 19th his determination to "restore the collapsed supply and utilization system of medical services" and innovate healthcare services.

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over the 'Essential Medical Innovation Strategy Meeting to Save Lives and Regions' at the Gaesin Culture Hall of Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, Chungbuk, where he made this announcement.

President Yoon held this meeting and directly stated his intention to redistribute medical resources, led by national university hospitals, to prevent the so-called 'pediatric open run,' 'emergency room roundabout' phenomena caused by the decrease in doctors supporting essential medical fields such as pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, and surgery, as well as the medical shortage crisis due to population aging.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

So far, President Yoon has emphasized the need to reform the medical system to protect the lives of the people despite the health insurance financial depletion issue and the fiscal austerity policy. The government also announced the '4th Basic Emergency Medical Plan (2023?2027)' last March, which includes significant expansion of medical services in four areas: on-site and transport stages, hospital stages, specialized field responses, and emergency medical infrastructure. However, the medical community mainly responded that without expanding public medical institutions, realizing medical fees, and increasing personnel, these measures would only be short-term stopgaps.

At the meeting, President Yoon proposed measures to "develop national university hospitals as the core of essential medical care, transfer national university hospitals under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and dramatically enhance the capacity to treat severe diseases through financial investment and regulatory innovation." According to President Yoon and presidential office officials, to establish branch hospitals of national university hospitals mainly in underdeveloped areas and build an efficient cooperation system between national university hospitals and regional hospitals, the control tower of national university medical schools should be transferred from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

President Yoon particularly emphasized that "to save regional and essential medical care and prepare for a super-aged society, expanding medical personnel and nurturing talent are essential," adding, "It is necessary to implement measures such as reducing legal risks for medical staff, adjusting insurance fees, and reforming compensation systems to foster medical personnel not only in clinical doctors but also in related medical science fields and to attract personnel in essential fields such as obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics." He also added, "We must resolve the issue of long working hours to create an environment where medical staff can focus on treatment."

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