Minister of Health and Welfare to Announce First Medical Reform Plan Next Month... Review at Cabinet Meeting (Comprehensive)

Including Improvements to Workforce System, Medical Delivery System, Essential Medical Compensation, and Medical Accident Safety Net
"Limitations of Fee Increase Alone... Plan for Direct Financial Investment to Expand Essential Medical Services"

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will release the first implementation plan for medical reform related to the increase in medical school quotas early next month. The implementation plan is scheduled to be reviewed and finalized at the Cabinet meeting before being submitted to the National Assembly to be reflected in next year's budget proposal.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is speaking at the Joint Hearing on Medical School Education held by the Education Committee and the Health and Welfare Committee at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong stated at a joint hearing of the National Assembly's Education Committee and Health and Welfare Committee, "The Medical Reform Special Committee will quickly discuss policies related to the expansion of medical school quotas, and we plan to announce the first implementation plan as early as next month."

He added, "We will devise various institutional support measures to ensure that the increased number of doctors reside in local areas and provide medical services," and "We will strive to report the specific details to the public soon."

In response to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Mi-ae's question asking when the announcement will be made and what it will include, he replied, "There are four major areas: improving working conditions for residents, innovating the medical workforce system, reorganizing the medical delivery system, concentrated compensation for essential severe medical care, enhancing transparency in resolving medical accidents, and strengthening safety nets." He added, "We are currently negotiating with the financial authorities regarding the budget. Since the main contents need to be reflected in next year's budget proposal, they will be reviewed and finalized at the Cabinet meeting before submission to the National Assembly."

He also stated that the government will directly invest finances to expand essential medical care. Regarding the main demand in the essential medical field being fee improvements, he said, "Under the plan to invest 2 trillion won over five years, we have already made significant improvements in fees," and added, "There are limits to expanding essential medical care through fees (medical service compensation) alone, so we will soon announce plans to directly invest finances."

When asked whether increasing the number of doctors would solve the shortage of personnel in local and public medical sectors, he responded, "We will devise various institutional support measures to ensure that the increased number of doctors reside in local areas and provide medical services," and "We will strive to report the specific details to the public soon."

Measures to systematically examine patient harm during medical service gaps will also be considered. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, from February 19, when the collective resignation of residents began, until the 14th of this month, the Medical Collective Action Damage Report and Support Center received a total of 4,188 consultations. Among these, 857 damage reports were received, including surgery delays (491 cases) and refusal of treatment (131 cases).

At the hearing, Kim Sung-joo, representative of the Korea Severe Disease Alliance, who appeared as a reference witness, pointed out, "The government says patient treatment is going well, but according to patient surveys, only about 30% receive normal treatment." In response to the criticism that patient harm continues, Minister Cho said, "We will consider (a systematic investigation)."

Regarding concerns that the quality of medical education may decline due to the increase in medical school quotas, the government also responded that it will reflect the related budget. Minister Cho said, "During the quota increase process, when the Medical Education Inspection Team checked each university, they said that each university can sufficiently accommodate the increased quota using current facilities," and added, "However, since there are concerns about quality degradation, we will work with the Ministry of Education to properly reflect the budget to improve the quality of education in next year's budget proposal."

Regarding public medical schools and the regional doctor system to increase local doctors, he showed a cautious stance. He said, "I understand that public medical schools and the regional doctor system are the result of efforts to expand medical services in local areas, but considering concerns about forced expansion by law, I think careful review is necessary," and added, "However, the government shares the same view on expanding local medical services and is considering various methods such as fees (medical service compensation)."

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