President Lee: "Institutional Improvements Needed for Essential Healthcare Accident Liability... Considering Stronger Government Responsibility"

President Lee Presides Over Roundtable on Regional, Essential, and Public Healthcare
"Cannot Demand Sacrifices From Doctors Without Rationalizing Medical Fees"
"Medical School Enrollment Only Increased for Regional Physician Program... Possible

President Lee Jae-myung stated on July 22 that the current framework, which places the risk of medical accidents in essential and public healthcare solely on individual medical practitioners, should be improved through institutional reforms. He emphasized the need to simultaneously pursue the rationalization of medical service fees and to strengthen both the financial and public responsibility of the government. While the increase in medical school admissions will be limited to the regional doctor system for now, he indicated that quotas for other necessary fields could be further expanded depending on the future supply and demand of medical personnel.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the regional, essential, and public healthcare roundtable held at the Blue House on July 22, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

During his opening remarks at the regional, essential, and public healthcare roundtable held at the Blue House under the theme of "Healthcare coverage for all, regardless of where you live," President Lee stated, "The recent lapses in essential medical services, regional healthcare, and public healthcare can only be fundamentally resolved by addressing not only economic challenges but also the systemic issues of medical accident risk and responsibility through institutional reforms."

President Lee first underscored, "It is important to review whether the medical service fee system is properly structured and work to rationalize it," adding, "We are currently reviewing policies to address the issues in essential and public healthcare by strengthening the government's responsibility." He also addressed the issue with the existing structure, which places the burden of responsibility and compensation for medical accidents in high-risk clinical fields solely on individual medical personnel or hospitals. He explained that if proper staffing and compensation conditions for medical professionals are not in place, and if responsibility for medical accidents—civil and criminal—is imposed entirely on individuals, it will be difficult to prevent avoidance of essential medical fields such as obstetrics and surgery.

President Lee also shared his past experience as a lawyer handling lawsuits for damages related to neonatal medical accidents. He said, "In court, I argued that the medical staff had failed to fulfill their duty of care as outlined in textbooks, and won the case, but I came to realize that under the compensation levels recognized at the time, it was almost impossible to fulfill every aspect of that duty." He added, "If the basic conditions necessary for a doctor to meet their duty of care are not established, perhaps the state should be responsible for compensation instead."

President Lee also pointed out the current reality in which patients and their families often attempt to resolve medical accidents by protesting in front of hospitals or pressuring medical staff. He remarked, "We should reconsider whether this is the proper way to address and resolve medical accidents," emphasizing the need to improve the overall system for mediating medical disputes and providing relief for victims.

Regarding medical school admissions, President Lee explained that the recent increase was essentially a compromise focused on the regional doctor system. He stated, "For now, the admissions increase applies only to the regional doctor system," and added, "Five years from now, we may reinforce other areas that prove necessary." His remarks leave open the possibility of reassessing the supply and distribution of medical personnel by region and specialty in the future, with further increases or adjustments as needed.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the local, essential, and public healthcare meeting held at the Blue House on July 22, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News

President Lee defined expanding regional healthcare not only as a means to narrow the healthcare gap between the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions, but also as a core task for achieving balanced national development. He explained, "All patients and medical professionals across the country continue to flock to large hospitals near Seoul," and added, "The issue of demand and supply being concentrated in a single area can only be resolved by strengthening the public role." He continued, "For local industries to be attracted and for people to settle in the regions, there must be a medical environment that guarantees ample treatment for families when members fall ill—not just improvements in education and culture," stressing that "improving regional healthcare is a key element in balanced development and enhancing residential conditions."

Meanwhile, President Lee reiterated and commended the fact that the conflict over medical school admissions was resolved through dialogue and persuasion. He said, "When people think of reform, they often imagine confrontation and conflict, but throughout this healthcare reform process, we have shown that by listening respectfully and gathering opinions, a conclusion can be reached without major clashes." He then urged health authorities, "To reflect the voices from the field to the fullest extent and create rational, practical policies. In particular, please prepare robust healthcare policies that strengthen public responsibility for essential, public, and regional healthcare."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.