Government to Guarantee Up to 1.5 Billion Won for Medical Accidents in Obstetrics and Pediatric Surgery

Ministry of Health and Welfare Launches Government Support for Liability Insurance Premiums in Essential Medical Fields
Enrollment Open Through Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance Until December 12

The government is set to launch a program that guarantees up to 1.5 billion won in compensation for medical accidents caused by specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatric surgery, and pediatric cardiology.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 26th that it has started the “Liability Insurance Premium Support Program for Essential Medical Personnel.” Medical institutions employing eligible medical staff can apply for liability insurance enrollment until December 12.

This program was established to build a safety net for medical accidents by supporting liability insurance premiums in essential medical fields, thereby reducing the compensation burden on medical personnel and facilitating prompt recovery for patients who suffer harm.

The government explained that, following an open call for insurance companies and an evaluation by the Insurance Provider Selection Committee since late October, Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance was selected as this year’s insurance provider. The terms of the insurance contract, including policyholder costs and coverage limits, were determined in favor of the policyholders.

Eligible specialists include obstetricians and gynecologists with delivery experience working at clinics and hospitals, as well as pediatric surgeons, pediatric thoracic surgeons, pediatric cardiologists, and pediatric neurosurgeons at general hospitals or higher-level medical institutions. For liability insurance, the medical institution is responsible for compensation up to 200 million won per incident, while the insurance covers compensation exceeding 200 million won up to 1.5 billion won. The annual insurance premium for each specialist is 1.7 million won, of which the government subsidizes 1.5 million won. Thus, medical institutions can reduce the high compensation burden in high-risk essential medical fields to just 200,000 won per year per specialist.

For residents, the eligible fields are internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, emergency medicine, neurosurgery, and neurology at training hospitals. In these cases, the training hospital covers compensation up to 30 million won per incident, while the insurance covers compensation exceeding 30 million won up to 300 million won. The annual insurance premium per resident is 420,000 won, of which the government provides a subsidy of 250,000 won, so hospitals can enroll their residents for just 170,000 won per year.

If a training hospital employing residents in these eight specialties already has an existing liability insurance policy, it may choose to receive a reimbursement of 250,000 won per resident, equivalent to the government subsidy. Applications for reimbursement are currently being accepted through the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency and can be submitted until December 5.

Medical institutions wishing to enroll in the insurance must submit an application form and supporting documents to the insurance company. Detailed information can be found through the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, the dedicated website for essential medical liability insurance at Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, or by contacting the call center.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chung Eun-kyung stated, “This program allows each specialist to secure coverage of up to 1.5 billion won for a minimal annual cost of 200,000 won, and we hope many medical institutions will participate. Going forward, we will continue to build a robust safety net for medical accidents to ensure prompt and sufficient recovery for patients and protect both patients and medical personnel.”