South Korea launches 2024 healthcare reform plan

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will designate $7.42b for fair compensation.

Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has unveiled its 2024 Action Plan for Key Policies under the “Healthcare Reform and Welfare for the Weak to Open up the Future” vision.

The action plan will encompass four core tasks, covering healthcare reform, welfare for vulnerable groups, more patient care services, and healthcare and welfare reforms for future growth.

For healthcare reform, MOHW will initiate four tasks to expand its programmes through increasing the medical workforce, expanding medical school seats, overhauling delivery systems, and enacting the Act on Special Cases Concerning Medical Accidents. The Ministry will also allocate over $7.42b (KRW10t) for fair compensation for essential healthcare services.

For social welfare, MOHW will initiate Welfare for the Weak 2.0 for tighter yet wider protection for the underprivileged. It will also launch the “Birth Notice” and “Protected Childbirth” programmes to improve protection for children.

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For the expansion of patient care services, the Ministry will prioritise the reduction of patient care costs, the revamping of integrated nursing-care services, and the improvement of quality control. MOHW will also develop a tight-knit support system for all Koreans.

For the growth of healthcare and welfare reforms, MOHW will expand the First Meeting Voucher and Parental Allowance, increase support for infertility and fertility tests and push for the Korean Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) project and the Boston-Korea project.

“This year, the MOHW will boldly move forward with a healthcare reform to open up the future, and strengthen welfare for the weak for more tight-knit and more extensive protection,” Cho Kyoo-hong, Minister of MOHW, said.