Government Prepares for Prolonged Emergency Medical Situations... Extends Health Insurance Funding

The government has decided to extend the health insurance financial support, which has been投入 188.2 billion KRW monthly since March to minimize damage caused by medical service gaps, through May following last month. This is to prepare for the possibility of a prolonged emergency medical care situation.

On the 7th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on doctors' collective action at the Government Seoul Office and announced, "We will extend health insurance support to maintain the emergency medical care system."

Minister Cho said, "Since February, the government has投入 about 190 billion KRW monthly for expanding emergency and severe patient surcharges and increasing emergency room specialist consultation fees," adding, "We plan to extend health insurance support for one month from May 11 to prepare for the possibility of a prolonged emergency medical care situation."

At the CDSCH meeting that day, the 'Status of Military Doctors and Public Health Doctors Dispatch and Additional Deployment Plans' was discussed.

Minister Cho also stated that to fill the gap caused by the departure of residents, 36 additional military doctors will be dispatched and concentrated in hospitals with high demand but insufficient personnel.

The government has already dispatched 427 public health doctors and military doctors and plans to gradually replace 146 of them considering fatigue.

Regarding the Presidential Commission on Medical Reform, which will hold its second meeting this week, Minister Cho explained, "We plan to continue discussions on compensation for severe and essential medical care, medical delivery system, resident training, and medical accident safety nets, which were selected at the first meeting, including the formation and operation plans of expert committees for deeper discussions on each medical reform task."

He added, "The government will do its best to support the Presidential Commission on Medical Reform to be faithfully operated as a social consultative body for innovation and development of the medical system."