A special expert committee will be launched to discuss policy improvements on when to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment and on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and health care data.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it held the first regular meeting of the seventh National Bioethics Committee at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the 14th and reviewed the operation plan for the special expert committees on improving the life-sustaining treatment decision system and on AI and health care data use.
The National Bioethics Committee is a deliberative body established under the president in accordance with the Bioethics and Safety Act. It reviews major matters related to bioethics, including the national basic policy on bioethics and safety, human subject research, embryo and gene research, and genetic testing.
The seventh committee consists of 19 members, including Chairperson Kim Ok-joo, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, 13 civilian members, and 6 government members. The term is three years.
At this meeting, members discussed the election of the vice chairperson, the operation plans of the two special expert committees, and plans to form expert committees by field.
The special expert committee on improving the life-sustaining treatment decision system will focus on bridging gaps between the system and actual operations that have emerged in the field since implementation. Fourteen experts from the medical, ethics, patient advocacy, legal, religious, and media communities will participate.
In particular, it will review key tasks such as the timing for withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment and aims to prepare recommendations within the year. The intent is to identify difficulties faced by patients, families, and medical staff under the current system and to develop improvement measures.
The special expert committee on AI and the use of health care data will discuss ways to overhaul the system to respond to advances in AI technology and rising demand for big data in health care.
It will be composed of 13 experts from civic groups, health care and industry, the legal and ethics communities, academia, and the government. It plans to review and prepare recommendations for system improvements, including protection of data subjects' rights, establishment of a data management governance framework, consent procedures, use of pseudonymized information, and committee review procedures.
The committee also received reports on plans to form five expert committees in the fields of bioethics and safety policy, embryos, human-derived materials, genes, and protection of research participants.
Chairperson Kim Ok-joo said, "The two special expert committees are the core of the seventh committee's activities," adding, "We will lead discussions in a direction that resolves the real difficulties faced by patients, families, and medical staff under the current life-sustaining treatment decision system, and that advances data technology while protecting human dignity and human rights."
Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "Improving the life-sustaining treatment decision system and using health care data are tasks directly tied to people's lives," and added, "We expect the two special expert committees to lead discussions effectively based on voices from the field and from citizens."
Starting with this regular meeting, the seventh committee plans to form and operate the special expert committees and the field-specific expert committees and to discuss key pending issues in bioethics through policy roundtables.