Lee Jae Myung: Government Must Strengthen Responsibility for Regional and Essential Healthcare... "Rationalizing the Fee System Is Important"

[Financial News] Lee Jae Myung said on the 22nd that, regarding efforts to strengthen regional, essential and public healthcare, "We are continuing to review policies in a direction that strengthens the government's responsibility."
In his opening remarks at the regional, essential and public healthcare meeting held that day at the Yeongbingwan State Guest House, Lee said, "The recent gaps in public healthcare, essential healthcare and local healthcare are largely economic in nature."
He first assessed South Korea's medical coverage system, saying, "People around the world admire South Korea in many ways, and one of them is its well-established medical coverage system." He added, "Although this system went through considerable turmoil and was damaged over the past few years, it is now recovering to normal very quickly."
He also said that the issue of medical school quotas, which had worried the entire nation, produced major results with the help of welfare ministry officials, including Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, support from the political community, and cooperation from the medical sector.
He explained, "Reform is not easy. Existing interests have to be adjusted, and when interests are adjusted, there is inevitably a side that loses something." Lee added, "I believe this medical reform process has proven that, even without that, dialogue and persuasion can be enough to reach a certain conclusion."
Lee stressed that rationalizing the fee system is necessary to solve regional and essential healthcare problems. Referring to a lawsuit for damages he once filed against an obstetrician while working as a lawyer, he said, "If you try to do everything by the textbook, it was simply impossible to do it with that amount of money."
He continued, "There is what is called an accepted medical fee, isn't there? You have to check oxygen saturation every five minutes and watch over the patient constantly, but that is not something you can actually do." He added, "Rationalizing the fee system is important first," and said the medical fee system should be examined to see whether it is truly set properly.
He also said the structure for medical dispute resolution must be institutionally improved. Lee stated, "When a medical accident occurs, it is hard to win in court, so surrounding hospitals, staging protests, shaming and harassing them has become routine." He added, "I have also wondered whether it is right for disputes to be approached and resolved in this way."
He went on to say, "As a result, doctors end up avoiding risky surgeries." He added, "These two problems must be institutionally addressed before a fundamental solution can be found."
Regarding the expansion of public healthcare, Lee said, "We must clearly strengthen the responsibility of the national community." He questioned whether it is effective to leave everything in the realm of making private money while demanding morality and public responsibility there.
He also linked regional healthcare to balanced development, saying, "When we talk about creating settlement conditions in the provinces so that local areas can develop, attract industry and achieve balanced growth, one of the most important objective factors is healthcare." He added, "Whether my family can be guaranteed sufficient medical care when they are sick or need it is important, and improving healthcare is a key element in improving settlement conditions for balanced regional development."

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