The South Korean government is gearing up to disclose a report by year-end that will reveal the financial benefits received by doctors from pharmaceutical companies. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – The South Korean government is gearing up to disclose a report by year-end that will reveal the financial benefits received by doctors from pharmaceutical companies, sparking a debate on whether to include identifiable information such as names in the report.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on March 14, the government has been gathering opinions from medical and pharmaceutical circles, including doctors, pharmacists, and biotech firms, to determine the extent of information to be disclosed in the upcoming report on economic benefits in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors.
The report in question aims to document the financial incentives provided to healthcare professionals by entities such as pharmaceutical and medical device companies. This initiative, introduced in 2018, was implemented to eradicate illegal kickback practices and improve transparency in the transactions of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
Currently, the law stipulates permissible economic benefits that can be offered to medical practitioners by pharmaceutical companies, which include sample products, support for academic conferences, clinical trial funding, product presentations, and discounts based on payment terms.
However, with the impending release of the expenditure report by the end of the year, there is a heated debate on whether it should include personal details like the real names of doctors and the names of medical institutions or pharmacies. The MOHW is committed to taking into account the opinions of the medical community and corporations before making a decision.
The medical community has expressed concerns to the MOHW, fearing that the disclosure of names might lead to privacy violations and misunderstandings, as legal benefits could be misconstrued as illicit.
An official from the MOHW stated, “We are in the process of gathering opinions to decide whether the report should include personal information of medical professionals. Following an internal review, we plan to finalize the scope of information to be disclosed by next month.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
