On the 12th, patient organizations called on presidential candidates to legislate the Basic Patients’ Rights Act and institutionalize ‘caregiver’ roles in line with the official launch of the 21st presidential election campaign.
The Korea Patient Federation, comprised of 10 patient organizations including the Korea Leukemia Patient Association, the Korea Kidney Cancer Patient Association, and the Cancer Citizen Coalition, announced six key patient policy demands on this day, stating, “We want a government that creates a patient-centered healthcare environment.”
They first argued that the proposed Basic Patients’ Rights Act, currently submitted to the National Assembly, should be passed quickly.
The proposed Basic Patients’ Rights Act includes provisions for the government to establish a basic patient policy plan every five years and conduct a fact-finding survey every three years, as well as guaranteeing patient organizations’ participation in the policy-making process.
The organizations also insisted that in order to ease the burden of caregiving, the integrated nursing and care service should be reformed to enhance caregiving functions. They advocated for the institutionalization of caregivers to improve the quality of care through better treatment of caregivers and strengthened education and management.
Furthermore, the policy demands include the establishment of a Patient Policy Bureau within the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the creation of an integrated support platform for patient care, the introduction of a rapid reimbursement and adjustment system for new life-saving drugs, and the promotion of a national responsibility system for essential costs related to organ transplantation.