Raising Reimbursement Rates and Reducing Legal Risks Are Top Priorities
Discussions Also Address Improvements to Resident Training Environment
Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eunkyung stated, "We will create an environment where medical professionals working in fields directly linked to the health and lives of the public can take pride in their work and focus on patient care."
Jeong Eunkyung, Minister of Health and Welfare, is speaking at the 'Regional and Essential Medical Care Meeting' held at Chungbuk National University Hospital in Cheongju, Chungbuk on the 14th. Photo by Choi Taewon
On August 14, Minister Jeong held a meeting on regional and essential medical care at Chungbuk National University Hospital in Cheongju, Chungbuk, where she announced plans to raise reimbursement rates and mitigate legal risks for medical professionals. The meeting was organized to hear firsthand from frontline staff at a national university hospital responsible for regional healthcare, and to broadly discuss improvements to the system and compensation structure, ahead of the government's initiative to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare policies.
Minister Jeong identified two top priorities: increasing National Health Insurance reimbursement rates for essential medical services, and reducing legal risks for healthcare workers. She explained, "We have established a plan to continuously increase reimbursement rates for undervalued essential medical services and to overhaul the system so that adequate compensation is provided in essential medical fields by 2030."
She added, "We are working on improvements to the public compensation support system and the criminal justice system regarding medical accidents," and continued, "In particular, we will further develop measures to strengthen legal protection for medical professionals in specialized fields."
The government will also reinforce the public healthcare system to address regional disparities in medical services and to expand essential medical care. Minister Jeong said, "We will accelerate reforms such as supporting infrastructure, increasing the number of full-time faculty, and revising regulations on total labor costs, so that national university hospitals can fulfill their roles as regional medical centers and develop advanced and complex care."
Regarding resident training, she said, "A pilot project to improve the training environment is underway, and several legislative amendments have been submitted to the National Assembly. We will expand initiatives such as reducing working hours and promoting multi-institutional collaborative training, and will also strengthen national support for residents in essential medical fields."
Attending the meeting from the Ministry of Health and Welfare were Minister Jeong, Jeong Yunsun, Director General for Health and Medical Policy, Kim Kukil, Director of Health and Medical Policy, and Bang Youngsik, Director of Medical Workforce Policy. From the hospital, attendees included Kim Wonseop, President of Chungbuk National University Hospital, Ryu Donghee, Vice President for Clinical Affairs, Yoon Soonman, Director of Planning and Coordination, as well as residents specializing in essential medical fields such as pediatrics, neurology, and emergency medicine.
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