Young Doctors of the Korean Medical Association Say "Let's Eradicate Proxy Procedures"... Propose Doctor Identity Verification System

Policy Advisory Group Composed of Medical Students and Resigned Residents Proposes
"No Proposal on Medical School Quotas... Too Many Political Factors"

The young doctors within the Korean Medical Association (KMA) proposed introducing a system that can verify the identity of doctors to eradicate illegal medical practices such as proxy procedures.

At a press conference held on the 24th at the KMA building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the Young Doctors Policy Advisory Group stated, "We should enhance the effectiveness of the KMA's self-regulatory body and strengthen the monitoring system for illegal medical practices." The Young Doctors Policy Advisory Group was launched last month. It consists of about 10 members, including medical students and residents before resignation, who propose policies for a proper medical environment.

Cha Dong-young, Director of Public Relations at the Korean Medical Association, is holding a press conference to announce the first policy proposal of the Young Doctors Policy Advisory Group on the afternoon of the 24th at the KMA Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The advisory group pointed out that the disciplinary reasons of the KMA Central Ethics Committee are limited to "violation of the duty to maintain dignity," and that the practical effect of the discipline is insufficient, thus requiring improvement. Accordingly, they proposed expanding the "Nurse Illegal Medical Practice Reporting Center" within the KMA into an illegal medical practice monitoring organization and independently investigating, managing, and supervising illegal acts such as proxy procedures.

They also advocated for the introduction of a "Procedure Doctor Verification System" so that patients can verify the identity of the performing doctor and prevent unlicensed medical practices. This system would allow patients receiving medical procedures to verify the identity of the performing doctor through a QR code or name tag, and each medical institution would post the doctor's license so that the recipient can verify the information via the QR code.

Chae Dong-young, KMA Director of Public Relations and Deputy Spokesperson, said, "There were internal opinions that we should be cautious about public disclosure systems like the Procedure Doctor Verification System, but if it benefits patients, we should open it minimally and show that we are managing it first."

The advisory group plans to deliver this proposal to political leaders, including representatives of both ruling and opposition parties, as well as the Mayor of Seoul.

Regarding evaluations that this first policy proposal is unrelated to pressing issues such as medical school quotas, Director Chae drew a clear line, saying, "The medical school quota issue involves many political elements and is not something the advisory group should handle."

Cha Dong-young, Director of Public Relations at the Korean Medical Association, is holding a press conference to announce the first policy proposal of the Young Doctors Policy Advisory Group on the afternoon of the 24th at the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The KMA has emphasized since the launch that the Young Doctors Advisory Group is not a negotiation body with the government. This is due to the distrust of residents toward the KMA. Director Chae said, "For now, we want to show that we have no other intentions, but issues such as the training system should also be discussed by the advisory group."

The KMA cited government lies and unkept promises as reasons for not accepting the bipartisan parliamentary consultative body. The KMA reiterated the importance of the government keeping promises that doctors can trust. Regarding the 'blacklist' controversy, they claimed that "the investigation process is excessively unfair" and said they would discuss support measures for the affected doctors.