"Ministry of Health Should Be Separated from Ministry of Health and Welfare"... A Look at the KMA's Presidential Election Policy Proposals

Call for Improvement of Healthcare Delivery System... Opposition to Establishing a Public Medical School
"Supporting Regional Doctors Should Come Before Creating New Medical Schools"

The Korea Medical Association has proposed to presidential candidates that the Ministry of Health and Welfare should be split to establish an independent Ministry of Health. Regarding the establishment of a new public medical school mentioned by Lee Jaemyung, the candidate from the Democratic Party of Korea, the association expressed a negative stance, stating that "support for regional and essential healthcare should come first."

Kim Taekwoo, president of the Korea Medical Association, is speaking at the presidential election policy proposal briefing held at the KMA Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Korea Medical Association

The association held a presidential election policy proposal briefing containing these points at the KMA Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Kim Taekwoo, president of the Korea Medical Association, emphasized, "This proposal is not a claim representing the interests of doctors, but a responsible voice from the leading organization in the medical community to protect the public's right to health."

The association first called for innovation in healthcare governance, arguing that the healthcare sector should be separated from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to form an independent Ministry of Health. They stated that the current health administration is centered on personnel and organizations lacking medical expertise, which limits professionalism. Therefore, they stressed the need to establish a central body for healthcare that can integrate specialized policies, research, and education, and to strengthen its independence.

The independence of the Ministry of Health has been raised every time major healthcare issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have emerged. In the past, when the need to establish a Ministry of Health was discussed in the National Assembly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed reluctance to the separation, citing that many issues, such as long-term care insurance for the elderly, care for people with disabilities, and medical benefits for the poor, are closely linked between welfare and healthcare. During the last presidential election, it was also mentioned as one of the campaign pledges of former President Yoon Sukyeol, but it was pushed down the priority list during the transition committee stage and was not realized.

The association also called for improvements to the three-tier healthcare delivery system, which consists of local clinics and hospitals, general hospitals, and tertiary hospitals. To prevent the concentration of patients in large hospitals and the Seoul metropolitan area, they proposed increasing out-of-pocket costs for mild patients visiting tertiary hospital outpatient clinics and imposing differential charges for treatment outside designated regions. Kim Changsoo, head of the association's presidential election policy research team, explained, "The system should be one in which the specialist doctor, not the patient, decides on referrals to tertiary hospitals."

Regarding the Democratic Party's presidential pledge to establish a public medical school, the association expressed opposition. They argued that even if a public medical school is created, it will take at least ten years to produce doctors, and many regional public hospitals are often run inefficiently due to the receipt of subsidies.

Instead, the association believes it would be more desirable to introduce incentives such as low-interest loans, tax benefits, and long-term support programs to encourage local medical school graduates to remain in their regions, and to allow multiple practice (where a doctor can practice at another medical institution besides their own) only for essential medical services. They also proposed introducing tailored essential medical service fees for underserved areas and implementing regional work allowances for residents. Kim stated, "If multiple practice by clinic doctors at regional public hospitals during weekends and nights is activated for essential medical services only, local talents will be able to provide essential care."

Furthermore, to improve the public health doctor system, the association suggested shortening the current service period from 37-38 months to 24 months, and mentioned the need to organically link public health service with regional healthcare. The proposal also included rationalizing the placement of public health doctors under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and providing incentives to enable employment and settlement in the region after discharge from service.

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