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- by Lee, Jeong-Hwan May 15, 2025 06:24am
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) will start implementing the 'patient advocacy service,' which provides a legal representative matching service for mediating disputes to strengthen the rights of patients who are victims of medical incidents, effective this month (May).
The service supports the conflict between a patient and a medical institute¡¤healthcare provider. The MOHW will initiate the program on the 16th by appointing approximately 50 lawyers.
The patient advocacy service will include patients who are victims of medical incidents during surgical operations and prescription¡¤drug preparation errors that occur in hospitals.
During the meeting with the Korea Special Press Association on May 14, Minjung Kwon, Director of MOHW's Healthcare Institution Policy Division, stated this.
Medical incident patient advocacy service is related to the MOHW's 'Act on Special Cases Concerning Medical Accident,' which was part of the essential healthcare package.
The 'Special Act for Handling Medical Accident' exempts criminal punishment of doctors when accidents occur during medical practice in essential healthcare departments.
Accordingly, patient¡¤citizen organizations shared criticism that the act invades the patient's rights while maximizing doctors' benefits.
The MOHW has established a patient advocacy service for medical incidents to safeguard patient rights.
To carry out this plan, the MOHW has completed the selection of patient advocates, focusing on lawyers with experience in medical malpractice litigation, among those who are both lawyers and hold medical licenses, and individuals with expertise and experience in medical accidents.
The patient advocacy service is activated¡¤operated during the dispute mediation stage before or instead of proceeding to court when a medical accident occurs. Patients who wish to use the advocate system must apply to the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency.
The MOHW plans to implement the patient advocate system as a provisional program while preparing the legal basis for it in the future.
Director Kwon explained, "Many lawyers applied for the patient advocate service," and added, "We aimed to select around 50 people, but received more applications. After the appointment ceremony on the 16th and the training course, we plan to start the service at the end of May."
"This is a program in which patients who wish to apply for medical accident mediation can apply to the advocate system, receive assistance, and proceed with mediation together," Director Kwon added, "The advocacy service is not intended for patients who want to file law suits. If mediation is activated through the advocate system, reducing cases that proceed to law suits will be possible."
Lastly, Director Kwon said, "The term for a patient advocate is two years. After two years, performance will be evaluated, and reappointment will be made if no special circumstances exist." And added, "Many lawyers are interested in public service and have applied for this system. We intend to encourage advocates' participation and develop these various medical dispute mediation and assessment systems together."