An x-ray image being examined by a doctor (Image courtesy of Freerange Stock/CCL)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The Korean Medical Association (KMA) on Thursday denounced a proposed amendment to the Medical Service Act that would allow licensed traditional medicine practitioners, or hanuisas, to use X-ray machines, calling it a “grave threat” to South Korea’s medical system.
KMA President Kim Taek-woo said during a press briefing at the association’s headquarters in Seoul that the bill, introduced by Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party, “shakes the very foundation of the nation’s healthcare system” by recognizing traditional doctors as radiation safety managers.
“The court rulings often cited by hanuisas merely determined that the use of X-ray equipment was not subject to criminal punishment,” Kim said. “They did not legalize or legitimize such use.”
Earlier this year, the Suwon District Court acquitted a traditional doctor charged with violating the medical law for using an X-ray-based bone density scanner, a decision later upheld on appeal.
The KMA also criticized the government’s plan to require both hospitals and diagnostic agencies to separately bill the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for outsourced specimen testing, vowing to block the move and propose “practical alternatives.”
Kim said the issue “involves complex, conflicting interests among stakeholders” and needs “in-depth review and sufficient consultation” through the working group on reforming the specimen testing consignment system.
The association further pledged to campaign against amendments to the Pharmaceutical and Medical Service Acts that would permit the prescription of generic drugs for unstable medical supplies. It plans to file complaints over illegal substitute dispensing cases and conduct public surveys starting Oct. 17.
Kim warned that if lawmakers continue to ignore the views of the medical community, “a second medical crisis” could emerge, referring to the nationwide doctors’ strike earlier this year.
The KMA also postponed its National Representatives Conference, originally scheduled for Oct. 25, to hold an emergency general assembly instead, saying the decision was intended to “unify members and strengthen the association’s capacity for collective action.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
