Ryu Geun-hyeok Vice Minister: "PA Policyization Not Intended to Legalize Medical Practices Beyond License Scope"

Ryu Geun-hyeok, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] Ryu Geun-hyuk, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, emphasized that the government's policy on Physician Assistants (PA) is not intended to legalize medical practices beyond the scope of licensing, but rather to eliminate blind spots and remove confusion and the possibility of illegal activities.

On the 27th, at the opening of the "Public Hearing for Establishing Policy Directions for Physician Assistants" held at Yonsei Severance Building in Jung-gu, Seoul, Vice Minister Ryu stated, "The government's purpose in defining the scope of work for Physician Assistants is absolutely not to legalize medical practices beyond the licensed scope." He reiterated the intention by saying, "It aims to clearly define areas that can be considered blind spots due to unclear work boundaries and to eliminate confusion and the possibility of illegal activities in medical settings."

Regarding the issue of Physician Assistants, Vice Minister Ryu said, "It has been a long-standing issue," and as the specialization within the medical field becomes more segmented and collaboration among healthcare personnel becomes increasingly important, "allowing Physician Assistants to perform their duties within a rational medical system is one of the crucial tasks to enhance patient safety."

Physician Assistants refer to personnel such as nurses who assist doctors in medical institutions with consultations and surgeries to address the shortage of physicians. There have been ongoing criticisms that illegal medical practices occur as acts such as surgery, suturing, and prescriptions, which are legally restricted to doctors under the Medical Service Act, are being performed.

Vice Minister Ryu said, "The government intends to verify the validity based on research results and establish a reasonable operational system for Physician Assistants," and added, "I hope this public hearing will be a valuable opportunity to build consensus on the basic direction of managing and operating Physician Assistants and to review reasonable standards for the tasks performed by Physician Assistants."