South Korea advances healthcare reforms and medical liability relief

South Korea is advancing legislative and systemic reforms to improve healthcare delivery and protect medical professionals. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is developing a long-term roadmap for the nursing and caregiving integrated service. Following a field inspection at Korea University Guro Hospital, officials emphasized moving beyond simple bed expansion to create staffing standards that reflect patient severity and care needs.

Simultaneously, the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee passed an amendment to the Emergency Medical Service Act. The amendment aims to reform the emergency medical system by providing legal relief for medical staff. Specifically, it changes the provision regarding criminal liability for medical professionals during emergency procedures from discretionary to mandatory exemption in certain cases. The bill also establishes specific justifiable reasons for refusing or avoiding emergency patients, such as when facilities, equipment, or personnel are fully utilized, and grants more authority to emergency management centers to designate hospitals for critical patients.