Yoon: "Place Healthcare on Par with Security and Public Safety, and Make Bold Financial Investments"

Essential Medical Care Included for the First Time in Next Year's Budget Guidelines
'Key Areas for Financial Investment'
President Yoon: "Government and Medical Community Must Consult Quickly"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 26th, "We will place the healthcare sector on the same level as essential national functions such as security and public safety and make bold fiscal investments."

President Yoon made this remark after receiving a report on the '2025 Budget Formulation Guidelines' at the morning Cabinet meeting, adding, "The government and the medical community must promptly come together and consult to prioritize fiscal expenditures in the healthcare sector, which will also enable the formulation of next year's budget," according to Lee Do-woon, the presidential office's chief public relations officer, in a written briefing.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is striking the gavel to start the Cabinet meeting held on the 26th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, in his opening remarks, President Yoon had promised to establish a support system covering the entire cycle?from student selection, resident training, to working at regional hospitals?to ensure that the increased number of medical students and doctors settle in local areas. He also plans to improve the system of tertiary general hospitals, which excessively rely on residents.

In particular, President Yoon said, "We will drastically improve the training environment for residents, including continuous working hours and compensation systems," and added, "The government will not spare fiscal investment and support in medical education."

Additionally, based on demand surveys conducted by universities, the government will prepare the 'Medical Education Environment Improvement Plan' in April and proceed with reforms of the resident training system, introduction of a contract-based regional essential doctor system, restructuring of the medical delivery system, fair compensation for essential medical services, management of non-reimbursable medical expenses, and establishment of a medical accident safety net.

In the '2025 Budget Formulation Guidelines' reported by Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, at the Cabinet meeting that day, support for essential medical care was included for the first time as a key area for fiscal investment.

At a meeting with medical staff from Korean hospitals in Chungbuk in the afternoon, President Yoon emphasized, "The scale of the healthcare budget must be determined so that unnecessary expenditures can be adjusted while expanding regional medical infrastructure, strengthening compensation for essential medical services, and setting the scale for research and development (R&D) projects," adding, "Only then can we protect the lives and safety of the people."

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Cheongju Korea Hospital on the afternoon of the 26th and received an explanation about the Cardiovascular Center from the head of the hospital's Cardiovascular Center. [Image source=Yonhap News]

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