Partial Amendment to the Maternal and Child Health Act Passed in National Assembly Plenary Session on the 9th
Medical Community: "National Support Desirable After Objective Effectiveness Proven"
Korean Medicine Community: "Difficult to Simply Compare Pregnancy Rates, Synergy Between Korean and Western Medicine Needed"
As government support for traditional Korean medicine (Hanbang) infertility treatment becomes a reality, the medical community raises concerns that objective proof of its effectiveness must precede such support. In response, the Korean Medicine community stated that the effectiveness has been proven through over a decade of data accumulation and emphasized the need for synergy through collaboration between Western medicine and Korean medicine.
The Direct Election Korean Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Direct Election KSGO) issued a statement on the 11th, urging, "It is desirable to provide national support only after objective proof of effectiveness has been established," and called for an immediate halt to national support for Hanbang infertility treatment, which has not been proven effective and negatively impacts public health safety and health insurance finances amid recent gaps in essential medical services.
On the 9th, the National Assembly plenary session passed a partial amendment to the Maternal and Child Health Act, which includes provisions for the government to support expenses for Korean medicine infertility treatments. The amendment was driven by the need to establish a legal basis for national support, which was previously nonexistent. Infertility treatments in obstetrics and gynecology have been covered by health insurance since 2017.
However, the Direct Election KSGO maintains that the objective effectiveness of Hanbang infertility treatment has not been proven. They argue, "It is natural for the government to provide support only after scientific research objectively proves effectiveness." According to the Direct Election KSGO, the pregnancy rate of Hanbang infertility treatment (12.5%) is lower than the cumulative pregnancy rate of 54.2% after three cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in foreign studies and also lower than the domestic IVF pregnancy rate of 35.4% to 50.5%.
Low cost-effectiveness was also highlighted as an issue. The Direct Election KSGO estimates that considering expenditures by local governments, local Korean Medicine associations, and health insurance, the cost until successful pregnancy through Hanbang infertility treatment reaches 17.85 million KRW. This is 3.5 times higher than the 5.04 million KRW cost for artificial insemination including all related expenses, and nearly 1.8 times higher than the 10.1 million KRW cost for IVF.
The Direct Election KSGO also mentioned an incident where a Korean Medicine research team's study on Hanbang infertility treatment was rejected by an overseas scholar during peer review. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Korean Medicine Industry Division funded 620 million KRW over four years from June 1, 2015, to May 31, 2019, for clinical research to clarify the effects of Hanbang infertility treatment. The research team submitted their paper to an SCI-level journal, but Jack Wilkinson, a researcher at the Health Sciences Center of the University of Manchester, UK, refused to review it, citing reasons that it was "unscientific and could harm women's health."
Woo Bong-sik, Director of Medical Policy Research at the Korean Medical Association, said, "Some studies have shown that infertility treatment through Hanbang results in even lower pregnancy rates than natural conditions without treatment," adding, "Providing national support without objective proof of effectiveness through research is a premature decision."
On the other hand, the Korean Medicine Association stated immediately after the amendment's passage in the plenary session, "We will do our best to provide the safest and most effective Korean medicine infertility treatments," and added, "The Korean medicine infertility treatment project, which cares for the health of pregnant women and records a high pregnancy success rate relative to cost, can be an excellent alternative."
Hanbang infertility treatment focuses on creating a body condition favorable for pregnancy in both men and women. It treats the causes of infertility by strengthening reproductive functions, stabilizing the mind and body, normalizing hormone secretion functions through tonifying effects, improving egg quality through blood-activating effects, and enhancing blood circulation. It resolves menstrual irregularities through treatment of blood stasis and improves ovarian and uterine functions by aiding qi and blood circulation, thereby creating a body condition capable of pregnancy.
The Korean Medicine community responded to the medical community's criticisms by stating that effectiveness has been proven and that synergy should be achieved through collaborative treatment. Moon Young-chun, Planning Director of the Korean Medicine Association, said, "It has been 14 years since support began through local government ordinances in 2011. There are over 10 years of data and research results proving effectiveness," adding, "Most infertile couples seeking Hanbang treatment have already failed multiple rounds of Western medical treatment. Since these cases are particularly difficult for pregnancy, simple comparisons of pregnancy rates are challenging." He further argued, "The medical community should not compete with Korean Medicine but rather create synergy by preparing the body for pregnancy through Hanbang and utilizing assisted reproductive technologies in Western medicine."
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