1st Meeting of the Medical Workforce Expert Committee under the Medical Reform Special Committee on the 24th
The government has begun full-scale discussions to improve training environments, including the gradual reduction of residents' working hours.
The 'Medical Workforce Expert Committee' under the Special Committee on Medical Reform held its first meeting on the 24th and discussed training and workforce policies.
On the 10th, the Medical Reform Special Committee established four expert committees: the Medical Workforce Expert Committee, the Delivery System and Regional Medical Expert Committee, the Essential Medical Care and Fair Compensation Expert Committee, and the Medical Accident Safety Net Expert Committee, to specify tasks by field.
Among these, the Medical Workforce Expert Committee was composed mainly of related experts with expertise in medical education, medical field, and workforce estimation, recommended by provider and consumer organizations. Medical professionals constitute the majority of the committee members. Professor Yoon Seok-jun of Korea University Graduate School of Public Health will serve as the chairperson.
At the first meeting, the committee shared the directions and discussion topics of medical reform discussed in the previous Medical Reform Special Committee, built consensus on medical reform, and exchanged opinions on tasks requiring focused discussion in future expert committee meetings. The Medical Workforce Expert Committee identified key tasks needing intensive discussion, including ▲ alleviating residents' workload ▲ improving the quality of resident training ▲ strengthening national investment in training costs ▲ enhancing the quality of medical education. Additional discussion topics may be added as necessary.
Previously, the government announced plans to improve residents' long working hours by reducing continuous working hours from the current 36 hours to 24 hours and gradually decreasing their weekly working hours from 80 to 60 hours. It also previewed measures to fundamentally improve the training system so that residents can receive high-quality education by expanding national support for training costs to dramatically enhance training quality.
The Medical Workforce Expert Committee plans to hold biweekly, accelerated discussions on tasks for fundamental improvements in the medical workforce and training system, while also setting initial discussion agendas on tasks that can quickly bring changes to the medical field for focused review and discussion.
No Yeon-hong, chairperson of the Medical Reform Special Committee, said, "The discussions of the Medical Workforce Expert Committee are highly important as the foundation for the direction of medical reform for future essential and regional medical care." He added, "It is necessary for the government and the medical community to sincerely consider the poor working conditions of residents and gradually reduce weekly working hours from 80 to 60." He continued, "We have reserved seats for medical community-recommended members to discuss necessary tasks in the medical field, so we ask for active participation from the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Intern Resident Association, and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences."
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