Gov’t working on measures to better support smaller hospitals to address dependence on ‘Big Five’

SEOUL, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo unveiled a set of measures Tuesday to support small, specialty hospitals in an effort to address the overreliance on the country's five major hospitals, all located in Seoul. The measures include reforming the current medical insurance system, which currently distributes medical insurance fees to hospitals based on their size, to a system that calculates fees based on the medical capabilities of each hospital. "The government will establish a system where hospitals receive appropriate compensation based on their medical expertise rather than just their size," Han said while presiding over a Cabinet meeting. The five hospitals -- Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital -- have played a key role in providing medical care for critically ill patients. The measures came in response to the drawn-out walkout by medical interns and residents, who play crucial roles in assisting with surger ies and emergency services at the five hospitals, in protest of the government's decision to significantly increase the medical school enrollment quota. More than 90 percent of the country's 13,000 junior doctors have remained off the job through mass resignations for nearly a month, resulting in the cancellation of crucial surgeries, crippling the medical system. The government forecasts that fostering midsized clinics and other smaller specialty hospitals will eventually prevent the recurrence of medical crises when junior doctors leave en masse. "There are already small-scale specialty hospitals that provide treatment for severe patients at the level of general hospitals," Han said, adding that the government will expedite the reform of the current medical system. Source: Yonhap News Agency