The government has decided to allow foreign medical license holders to practice medicine domestically when the health and medical crisis alert reaches the 'severe' level as a countermeasure against the medical service gap caused by the collective resignation of residents.
On the 8th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will give a legislative notice of a partial amendment to the Medical Service Act Enforcement Rules containing this content until the 20th of this month.
The Ministry explained the reason for the amendment as "to respond to the medical service gap caused by the shortage of medical personnel in a health and medical disaster crisis situation," and stated, "It aims to protect the health and lives of the people by allowing foreign medical license holders to provide medical services with the approval of the Minister of Health and Welfare."
Earlier, after residents began collective resignation on February 19, the government raised the health and medical disaster alert level from the existing 'caution' to the highest level, 'severe,' as of 8 a.m. on February 23.
Since then, an emergency medical system has been operated, but as medical school professors also began resigning and suspending work, it is analyzed that the government intends to maintain emergency medical services by mobilizing even foreign medical license holders.
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