The dispute between traditional Korean medicine practitioners and physicians over the use of X-ray diagnostics is intensifying. The Korean Medical Association (KMA) proposed a public debate to the traditional medicine practitioners on the 8th, stating, "If you want to use X-ray testing equipment, follow the medical license."
Chairperson Park Sang-ho of the KMA's Special Committee on Traditional Medicine noted that "the traditional medicine community is maliciously exploiting the medical gap triggered by the government's increase in medical school enrollment to repeatedly claim that traditional medicine practitioners should be utilized in essential and public health fields," criticizing that "they are infringing on the medical field."
Chairperson Park stated, "If you want to use surgical diagnostic and testing equipment, obtain a medical license or certification as a radiological technologist or clinical laboratory scientist," adding, "A license is not just a piece of paper; it is responsibility for life." He further asserted, "Will you give handcuffs to a security guard because there are not enough police officers?" and claimed, "Traditional medicine practitioners should stop imitating physicians inadequately."
Previously, the Suwon District Court (second trial) acquitted traditional medicine practitioner A in January for using an X-ray type bone density measurement device on a patient, charging him with violating the Medical Law. The Korean Traditional Medicine Association (KTA) claimed that traditional medicine practitioners are now allowed to use X-ray devices. In response, the KMA proposed a public debate to the KTA.
The KMA's stance is to examine through the debate whether traditional Korean medicine infertility treatment is scientifically effective and whether using heavy metals as medicinal materials in traditional medicine is safe. They also suggested comparing the educational curricula of medical and traditional medicine colleges. Previously, traditional medicine practitioners proposed allowing graduates of traditional medicine colleges to take the medical national examination and grant licenses to address the issue of medical gaps.
The KMA criticized the claim made by traditional medicine practitioners that they should be guaranteed the authority to issue dementia diagnosis and opinion letters. Lee Jae-myeon, vice-chair of the KMA's Special Committee on Traditional Medicine, stated, "Dementia opinion letters are issued after highly complex judgments made by skilled physicians," expressing concern over approaching dementia diagnosis and treatment from a traditional medicine perspective.