The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has recommended corrective measures for discrimination after finding that the 'Medical Aid Life Transition Health Checkup' (hereafter referred to as the Medical Aid Checkup) for elderly recipients of medical aid omits important items compared to the National Health Checkup.
According to Assemblywoman Kim Sunmin of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee on October 8, the Medical Aid Checkup excludes several basic and important items compared to the National Health Checkup, such as blood pressure measurement, chest X-ray, urinalysis, blood test, hepatitis test, and oral examination.
Medical aid recipients aged 65 or older have been able to receive additional checkups through the senior health screening programs individually implemented by local governments since the Senior Health Screening Program was transferred to local governments in 2005. However, participation is not mandatory, and whether the program is operated depends on the financial circumstances and interest of each local government.
According to data obtained by Kim's office from local governments, these programs are only being implemented in 40 regions (17.46% of all cities, counties, and districts nationwide), including 25 districts in Seoul, 5 cities and counties in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, 5 districts in Daejeon Metropolitan City, and 5 districts and counties in Ulsan Metropolitan City, out of a total of 229 nationwide. In addition, the items included in the checkups vary by region, resulting in medical aid recipients not receiving equal health checkup benefits.
In December of last year, the National Human Rights Commission recommended that the Minister of Health and Welfare revise the 'Health Checkup Implementation Standards' to prevent discrimination against medical aid recipients aged 66 and older in the National Health Checkup, and advised the Minister of Economy and Finance to allocate the necessary budget. However, it was found that the Ministry of Economy and Finance has not responded with an implementation plan.
The Third Comprehensive National Health Checkup Plan (2021-2025), announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2021, included a provision to integrate the senior health screening programs individually conducted by local governments into the National Health Checkup. However, this issue remains unresolved.
Assemblywoman Kim stated, "Despite the recommendation from the National Human Rights Commission, the guarantee of health rights for vulnerable groups is being delayed due to disagreements among related ministries," and added, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare must actively ensure that medical aid recipients are not discriminated against in health checkups and that health equity is guaranteed, in accordance with the comprehensive plan already announced."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
