Amid ongoing turmoil in the medical community due to conflicts between physicians and the government over the past two years, a forum is set to discuss the future direction and key policy issues in healthcare.
The Korean Medical Association announced on June 8 that it will hold the "2026 Korean Medical Association Conference" on June 12 at the Plenty Convention Center, outlining the main agenda and session structure for the event.
The conference, themed "Communication and Empathy: Opening a New 60 Years," will address critical healthcare policy issues, including residency training for medical professionals, physician workforce projections, the sustainability of academic medicine in South Korea, and patient safety related to drug side effects.
Lee Jin-woo, President of the Korean Medical Association, stated, "Although the conference is taking place amid difficulties due to the conflicts over the past two years, this year marks the first conference since some resolutions have been reached. We have created a platform to discuss the direction the medical community should take and various unresolved issues, including regional and essential healthcare."
The keynote address will be delivered by Song Ho-geun, a distinguished professor at Hallym University, who will discuss "The Calling of Physicians and Healthcare Policy: The Curse of Success?" He will diagnose the institutional contradictions that have accumulated behind the achievements of South Korean healthcare and suggest future directions for the medical field.
The conference will feature eight session programs consisting of presentations and panel discussions. The Korean Medical Association will host sessions on "The Future Direction of Residency Training in Korea" and "What Regional Healthcare Policies Can Deliver Immediate Results?"
Additionally, the Korean Medical Association's Medical Policy Research Institute will explore "Seeking Desirable Physician Workforce Projections," while the Korean Association of Basic Medical Sciences will discuss "New Horizons in Basic Medicine: Utilizing National Integrated Bio Big Data and AI." The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences will address "How to Sustain Academic Medicine in South Korea?"
Other joint sessions will include topics such as "Regional Physician System and Medical Education Accreditation" by the Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation, "Drug Side Effects and Compensation: The Role of Healthcare in Ensuring Patient Safety" by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and "HTA Paradigm Shift: Balancing Innovation and Sustainability in Medical Technology Assessment" by the Korea Health and Medical Research Institute.
The Korean Medical Association plans to link the discussions from the conference to forums, public hearings, and white paper publications to facilitate actual policy discussions and institutional improvements.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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