Bill Passed in Health and Welfare Committee Subcommittee on the 27th
On the 27th, at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, the Health and Welfare Committee’s third bill review subcommittee discussed the partial amendment bills of the Health and Medical Personnel Support Act and the Framework Act on Health and Medical Services. The bill providing a legal basis for establishing a Medical Workforce Supply Projection Committee was approved by the Health and Welfare Committee’s subcommittee.
The Welfare Committee convened on the 27th and passed the amendment to the Health and Medical Personnel Support Act. The amendment to the Framework Act on Health and Medical Services outlines the establishment of a projection committee for medium- to long-term supply estimates of healthcare professionals, including doctors, oriental medical doctors, and nurses. The Minister of Health and Welfare would reflect the projections decided by the committee and coordinate with the Minister of Education to determine medical school quotas.
The projection committee is seen as the most crucial element in resolving conflicts between the medical community and the government. The medical community has opposed the government’s plan to increase medical school quotas this year, arguing that their opinions must be reflected through the committee during next year’s quota discussions.
Both ruling and opposition party lawmakers proposed six bills regarding the establishment and operation of the committee. The final amendment was prepared through consultations with the medical community and the government and was agreed upon on this day.
One of the main contentious points was that the committee would be placed under the purview of the Minister of Health and Welfare. While the Health and Medical Policy Deliberative Committee would continue to review the scale of medical workforce training, it would respect the deliberations from the projection committee. Medical school quotas will be determined after going through both the projection committee and the deliberative committee, with coordination between the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of Education.
The committee will comprise up to 15 members, including one chairperson, with a majority of members recommended by organizations representing various healthcare personnel, including the Korean Medical Association. The operation of the committee should guarantee independence and autonomy. However, it seems unlikely that next year’s medical school quotas will be discussed by the projection committee. Therefore, if the procedure of determination through the projection committee and the deliberative committee cannot be followed for next year, each university president can decide the recruitment numbers by April 30. The original plan allowed university presidents the decision-making power, but the revised version includes coordination with the Ministers of Education and Health and Welfare, with the requirement that the opinion of the dean of the medical school be considered.
Though the projection committee bill has passed the standing committee, it is expected to face some difficulties before finally being approved by the National Assembly. The medical community has requested that the committee not be placed under the Minister of Health and Welfare and that mechanisms be in place to ensure the committee’s opinions are reflected in the process of determining medical school quotas.
Park Dan, Vice President of the Korean Medical Association, expressed his frustrations on Facebook following the bill’s passage in the subcommittee, questioning the purpose of holding hearings and meetings if only to pretend to listen to opinions. He expressed skepticism that such a committee would influence residents or medical students.
Kim Taek-woo, President of the Korean Medical Association, also criticized the government at a forum by the Health Policy Institute, stating that the government is pushing unilateral policies without considering scientific evidence and the realities of medical education.