The Medical Innovation Committee, which will lead Lee Jae-myung's medical reform, officially launched on the 11th and began setting its agenda. However, more time will be needed for final confirmation. As the committee said it would decide "not by unilateral selection by the government, but through public deliberation," the overall outline is expected to emerge around March if all goes as planned.
Chairperson Jeong Gi-hyeon met with reporters after the first meeting that day and said, "We chose a 'mid-bottom-up' approach that builds public consensus and discusses with the medical community," adding, "If the agenda is set in the first quarter of next year, we will set priorities and address them in sequence."
Civilian members of the committee will hold a workshop in the third week of January next year to begin full discussions on setting the agenda. The deliberation process with 100 citizen panelists will take place in February, and the agenda will be finalized at the regular meeting in March.
At this point, a leading major agenda item is "narrowing regional disparities in medical care." Commissioner Jeong said, "The issue that most urgently requires policy intervention in Korean society right now is the regional gap," adding, "In particular, the imbalance in medical care is severe."
Jeong added, "We also need to discuss building an essential medical care system and ways to improve the quantity and quality of medical care."
Policies already being pursued by the government, such as the regional physician system and establishing new public medical schools, will proceed as scheduled. Son Yeong-rae, Director General of the Medical Innovation Promotion Team at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, explained, "The committee plays a role in identifying new agenda items and recommending improvements to the government."
Director General Son said, "On matters deemed necessary, such as workforce supply and demand, the committee can also provide advisory opinions."