Government to Extend Health Insurance Support for Emergency Medical System Due to Prolonged Group Actions by Doctors
As the group actions by doctors continue, the government has decided to extend health insurance support for the emergency medical system for an additional month. Health and Welfare Minister Cho Koo-hong chaired the meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at the government Seoul office today and stated, “In preparation for the possibility of a prolonged emergency medical situation, we plan to extend health insurance support for one month starting from the 11th.”
Since February, the government has been investing 190 billion won each month in measures such as expanding the additional costs for emergency and critically ill patients, and increasing examination fees for emergency room specialists. Additionally, the government has decided to dispatch an additional 36 military doctors to fill the vacancies caused by the departure of specialist doctors.
To address the shortage of medical staff in hospitals with high demand, the government plans to concentrate military doctors on these facilities, and intends to replace 146 out of the 427 military doctors and public health officials currently dispatched in the short term.
Minister Cho expressed his respect for the healthcare professionals who are fulfilling their duty as doctors under difficult conditions, referring to an article that highlighted the remaining personal stories of doctors in hospitals. He also appealed to certain medical professor groups discussing a nationwide strike and group leave for a week if the decision to expand student enrollment is confirmed, asking them to consider the patients and their families who are fighting for their lives.