Gov't announces measures to cope with shortage of surgeons

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong announces his ministry's comprehensive plan to strengthen the country's essential medical services at Government Complex Seoul, Jan. 31. Yonhap

Health ministry seeks to increase compensation for physicians in essential fields

By Lee Hyo-jin

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will review reducing penalties for doctors accused of medical malpractice, as it views the risk of getting involved in medial law suits as one of the reasons why would-be physicians shun departments where complicated surgeries are performed.

The plan was included in measures that were announced to strengthen the country's vital medical fields, such as surgery, emergency rooms, pediatrics and gynecology. These fields are grappling with a shortage of physicians.

But civic groups believe the proposed measure will only make it easier for doctors to avoid liability in the case of medical negligence and malpractice.

At a Jan. 31 briefing on its comprehensive plan to improve essential medical services, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said his ministry will review "various measures to relieve the burden of medical professionals" to encourage more medical students to choose unpopular departments such as surgery.

Among the measures under consideration was the enactment of a special law aimed at reducing criminal punishment for medical negligence, and revisions to the current Medical Dispute Settlement Act.

The authorities also shared plans to increase state support in compensating victims of medical malpractice to alleviate the burden on hospitals. Under current measures, victims of unavoidable medical malpractice can claim up to 30 million won ($24,300) in compensation, 70 percent paid by the government and 30 percent by the medical institution responsible for the mishap.

Moreover, the government will offer more financial benefits to physicians performing high-risk surgeries ― as high as double the current amount ― depending on their departments and work shifts.

The announcement came as Korea grapples with a severe shortage of essential life-saving doctors. Due to relatively low compensation and heavy workload, surgical departments have become one of the most unpopular fields among medical students. Interns are also avoiding the fields of pediatrics and gynecology amid plunging birth rates.

A recent study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found that at this pace, the country will face a dearth of some 27,000 doctors by 2035. By department, pediatricians and neurologists will be in the shortest supply. The shortages of orthopedists and obstetricians will be acute as well.

Health ministry officials and doctors participate in a meeting held on the government's plan to improve the country's essential medical system, at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno District, Tuesday. Yonhap

However, the health ministry's newly-introduced measures were met with criticism from civic groups and the patients' association. They believe that these policies, which are centered on increasing compensation and benefits for doctors, will do little in widening medical access to the public.

Ahn Ki-jong, head of Korea Alliance of Patients Organization, condemned the plan to relax punishments on physicians accused of medical negligence.

"Even under existing measures, a vast majority of doctors avoid conviction in the case of medical malpractice, because it is nearly impossible for patients and prosecutors to prove it," he said. "Instead of making special laws for the sake of doctors, the government should do more to protect the rights of patients."

The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, a Seoul-based civic group, expressed disappointment in the ministry's "half-baked" measures, which it viewed as focusing on "offering more benefits to doctors using taxpayers' money."

"The government seems to think that increasing government compensation for hospitals and medical professionals will directly lead to an increase in would-be doctors. But it is hard to say that increased compensation will result in a rise in the number of physicians," it said in a statement, Wednesday.

The citizens' coalition added, "Rather, it may lead to side effects. Medical service providers may choose to perform unnecessary procedures to gain more benefits." Under the current fee-for-service scheme in Korea, doctors are reimbursed by the government based on the number of services they provide, as the payment model rewards physicians for the volume and quantity of services they perform.

Moreover, the civic group pointed out that the measures were half-baked, as they did not include specific plans on how to increase the medical school admission quota.

Raising the admission quota for medical colleges is a hotly debated issue here.

The admissions quota across 40 medical schools in the country has remained unchanged after it was set at 3,058 in 2006. But the government's previous attempt to expand the quota had been met with fierce backlash from doctors in 2020, resulting in nationwide walkouts among trainee doctors and medical students' boycotting the state license exam.

A banner reads that medical treatment for everyone except urgent patients may be restricted or delayed at the emergency room of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Aug. 31, 2020, amid trainee doctors' nationwide strike in protest of the government's proposed plan to increase medical school admissions quota. Newsis

Doctors have been arguing that the government should tackle the shortage of doctors by "rectifying structural problems" by increasing compensation for doctors working in unpopular departments.

However, Jeong Hyoung-sun, a professor of health administration at Yonsei University, viewed otherwise.

"It is absolutely necessary to increase the admission quota. Given that the government does not have the authority to assign interns to certain medical specialties, expanding the number of medical students is deemed as a fundamental solution," he said. "As it would take several years to see visible effects, the measures should be carried out immediately."