KMA: "Resident Act Amendment Is a System Regression... Suhpyeongwi Composition Must Be Reconsidered"

"Majority Representation of Resident Members Must Be Ensured"

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) urged on September 23 that the composition of the Residency Training Environment Evaluation Committee (Suhpyeongwi) should be reconsidered, criticizing the proposed amendment to the Resident Act introduced in the National Assembly as a "regression of the system."

Taekwoo Kim, President of the Korean Medical Association. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The previous day, the first subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee passed a partial amendment to the "Act on the Improvement of Training Environments and Status of Residents" (Resident Act).

According to the amendment, the maximum consecutive training hours for residents have been reduced from 36 hours to 24 hours. However, in emergency situations, up to 4 additional hours of training are permitted. The amendment also includes provisions to guarantee rest periods under the Labor Standards Act and to restrict night and holiday shifts for pregnant or postpartum residents.

However, regarding the reduction of the current average weekly working hours of 80 hours, it was decided that further discussion would take place after reviewing the results of pilot programs aimed at reducing resident working hours.

The composition of the Suhpyeongwi, which is under the Ministry of Health and Welfare and is responsible for evaluating and improving the resident training environment, has also been changed. The number of representatives from resident organizations increased from two to four, and the number of representatives from the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences and the Korean Hospital Association each increased from three to four. However, the number of representatives recommended by the Korean Medical Association was reduced from one to zero.

In response, the Korean Medical Association pointed out, "Three out of the four special bills on residents currently pending in the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee specify that a majority of the committee should be composed of resident representatives, but the revised proposal limits the number of resident members to four," adding, "This undermines the effectiveness of system improvement."

The association further argued, "Unilaterally excluding the Korean Medical Association, which has participated as a member of the Suhpyeongwi, is a clear procedural flaw, undermines the legitimacy and acceptability of the policy, and is a system that runs counter to improving the training environment," insisting that the committee composition needs to be reconsidered.

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