President Lee Jae-myung stated that the government is continuing to review policies aimed at strengthening its responsibility in public and essential healthcare.
During a meeting on regional, essential, and public healthcare held at the Blue House, President Lee expressed his hope that a proper healthcare policy would be developed by reflecting the voices from the field in a rational and feasible manner, while enhancing public responsibility.
He shared his experiences from his time as a lawyer handling medical lawsuits, noting, "While arguing negligence on the part of doctors in court, I felt that the basic conditions necessary to fulfill the doctors' duty of care were not adequately met."
He added, "There were times when I thought the state should be the one to compensate."
President Lee emphasized that the recent gaps in public and essential healthcare must be addressed through institutional improvements for a fundamental solution, stating, "I still hold that belief today."
He highlighted the importance of rationalizing the medical fee system, saying, "It is crucial to determine whether the medical fee system is properly established, and to strengthen the community's responsibility to expand public healthcare."
Regarding the issue of increasing medical school enrollment, he explained that the current focus is on regional medical schools as a compromise, but he believes that after five years, it will be possible to strengthen the necessary areas.
On the topic of expanding healthcare in rural areas, President Lee noted that improving the medical environment is a key element for balanced regional development and enhancing living conditions, asserting that this can also be achieved by strengthening public roles.
He also emphasized that there have been some achievements in healthcare reform since the government took office.
Addressing the controversy over medical school enrollment during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, he remarked, "There was some confusion in our healthcare system for a while, but it seems that reforms are progressing to the point where people are wondering, 'How did it become so quiet?'"
President Lee stated, "While not everything is complete, significant progress has been made on crucial issues such as medical school enrollment and securing essential healthcare in regions, which is a major achievement. Typically, reforms are associated with noise and conflict, but this has proven that it is possible to reach a certain conclusion through dialogue and persuasion without such turmoil."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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