"Establishing a Safety Net for Medical Accidents"... Launch of the 'Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman'

Ministry of Health and Welfare Promotes Dispute Resolution Through Mediation Over Litigation
Committee Formed with Participation from Patients and Medical Professionals

The government is set to fully implement the Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman, aiming to establish a safety net for medical accidents.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on December 2 that it held the inaugural meeting for the introduction of the "Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman" at T Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman is being introduced to enhance the transparency and fairness of the mediation system and to encourage greater participation from parties involved in medical disputes. This will be achieved through the Ombudsman members' monitoring of the entire medical dispute appraisal and mediation process, identifying areas for institutional improvement, and recommending necessary changes. The aim is to promote dispute resolution through mediation rather than litigation. Litigation-centered approaches to resolving medical disputes have been a significant burden for both patients and medical professionals and have contributed to the avoidance of essential medical services. In response, the government has been operating the medical dispute mediation system since the implementation of the "Act on Remedy for Damage Caused by Medical Accidents and Medical Dispute Mediation, etc." in 2012.

The Ombudsman consists of a total of seven members: two representatives each from patients/consumers, medical professionals, and legal experts, as well as the Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The term is three years, with the possibility of one reappointment. These members will review the overall appraisal and mediation process for medical disputes, recommend institutional improvements, and assess the satisfaction of users of the mediation system. The government expects that the introduction of the Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman will lead to improvements in the mediation system, making it more satisfactory for both patients and medical professionals through enhanced monitoring and oversight.

Previously, the government has been working to establish a safety net for medical accidents to ensure prompt and adequate recovery for victims and to address the avoidance of essential medical services. Starting in May, the "Patient Advocate System" was introduced to provide legal and medical support to patients using the medical dispute mediation system. From July 1, the public compensation limit for unavoidable childbirth accidents was raised to a maximum of 300 million won. On November 26, the government launched the "Essential Medical Personnel Liability Insurance Premium Support Program" to facilitate prompt recovery for victims of medical accidents in essential medical fields and to reduce the compensation burden on medical staff.

Kim Kukil, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "To revitalize the medical dispute mediation system, we have introduced the patient advocate system and expanded mediation hearing dates, among other measures to improve the system. Through the operation of the Medical Dispute Mediation Ombudsman, we will monitor and improve the entire mediation system from the perspective of users, and do our utmost to further activate the medical dispute mediation system."

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