"Permanent Organization Needed to Investigate Medical Accidents... License Management Should Replace Criminal Punishment"

Medical Professors, Patient Groups, and Civic Organizations Propose Healthcare Innovation Plan
"Compensation for Victims Should Be Provided Through National Health Insurance, Followed by Exercising the Right of Recourse"

There has been a call to establish a permanent organization to investigate medical accidents and to manage doctors responsible for such incidents through license suspension or revocation, rather than criminal punishment.

Kang Heekyung, former professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, chairperson of the emergency response committee. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

On June 11, the group "Joint Action for a Better Healthcare System by Medical Consumers and Providers" (Joint Action) announced a proposal for healthcare innovation at the YWCA in Jung-gu, Seoul. Joint Action is an organization composed of medical school professors, patient groups, and civic organizations. Members include Kang Heekyung, former professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital and chairperson of the emergency response committee, Kim Sungjoo, head of the Korea Federation of Severe Disease Associations, and Yoo Mihwa, executive director of GCN Green Consumers Network.

They stated, "Lawsuits and punishments related to medical accidents make healthcare professionals fearful of performing medical procedures, undermine trust between medical consumers and providers, and prevent patients and their families from receiving proper explanations and apologies. Since medical procedures are inherently accompanied by risks, it is always difficult to guarantee good outcomes. If responsibility for poor outcomes is placed solely on individual healthcare professionals, no one will be willing to perform high-risk medical procedures."

They further proposed, "Let us establish a so-called 'Patient Safety Investigation Agency,' where medical experts affiliated with the agency will verify the facts whenever a patient safety incident occurs and transparently disclose the investigation results."

They also argued that, even if an investigation confirms negligence on the part of a healthcare professional, if there is no evidence of intent or criminal activity, criminal punishment should be waived and disciplinary action should be taken through license suspension or revocation instead.

To help the recovery of victims of medical accidents and their families, they suggested, "Let us create a medical accident safety net fund using National Health Insurance funds, so that victims can be compensated quickly without first determining responsibility. If the medical institution is later found to be at fault, the right of recourse should be exercised."

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