As trainee physicians at Korea’s five largest tertiary hospitals walked out en masse on Tuesday morning in protest to the government’s medical school quota increase, senior doctors in emergency medicine are taking on additional duties, hospitals said. This could lead them to suffer burnout, putting
As interns and residents are resigning en masse in protest to the government’s increase of medical school enrollment quota, the rivaling political parties have set about to persuade them, saying, “Let’s resolve it through dialogue.”On Monday, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) annou
Yongin Severance Hospital has started prescribing Somzz, the first digital therapeutics (DTx) device in Korea, for older adults with insomnia.Somzz, approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in February last year, implements cognitive behavioral therapy, the optimum standard treatment for ins
Some users of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) treatment Spinraza (nusinersen) failed to get reimbursement because their motor function was not maintained or improved after its administration.The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) released the results of the recent Medical Review and
Over 3,000 doctors are generated annually in Korea, yet a declining number are actively seeking specialized qualifications. Particularly noteworthy is the reduction of physicians specializing in critical departments that deliver essential care, with a decrease of 610, or 24 percent, observed over th
As prescriptions for growth hormone injections have sharply increased, so have the number of reports on adverse events associated with growth hormone injections.Against this backdrop, a physician-turned-lawmaker recently called for attention to the risk of growth hormone abuse and misuse.Rep. Shin H
More and more oriental medicine practitioners are adopting ultrasound diagnostic devices.The trend has become even more visible since the Supreme Court ruling that allowed the use of ultrasound diagnostic devices by oriental medicine doctors. Related medical device manufacturers also explore the new
Samsung Medical Center (SMC) has introduced an automated issuance system that incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) technology to issue copies of medical records.That reduced the online application, which took a full day, to one hour and slashed the waiting time for on-site issuance to five minu
The National Assembly has responded to the voices of patients calling for including triple-negative breast cancer drug Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan) in health insurance.The public petition, signed by 50,000 people, was referred to the Health and Welfare Committee, a relevant Assembly standing com
Access to medical care will soon extend into patients' daily lives through prescriptions of digital therapeutic devices (DTx). Individuals can now manage their health effectively using DTx, even without direct involvement of medical professionals.Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) declared its d
Pediatric clinics are busiest on Mondays, and, to help avoid an “opening rush” on the first day of the week, hospitals must strengthen holiday treatment, a report said.Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea has released the report based on her analysis of pediatric claims by day of th
On Tuesday, a tragedy occurred in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, where the parents of a nine-year-old girl with juvenile diabetes committed suicide.At a parliamentary debate two days later, experts pointed out that continuous glucose monitors and insulin injectors, such as insulin pumps and digi
Korean medical researchers have discovered a biomarker to detect Alzheimer's disease in tears.A research team -- led by Professor Ji Yong-woo of the Department of Ophthalmology at Yongin Severance Hospital and Professor Haam Seung-joo of the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at Yonse
Korean medical researchers have found a genetic link between educational attainment and genetics in East Asians.On Monday, a team of researchers, led by Professor Won Hong-hee and research fellow Kim Jae-young at Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology (SAIHST) and Professor My
Surgeries for cosmetic purposes, such as nasal valve reconstruction for nasal cosmetic purposes and varicose vein surgery for cosmetic purposes, rather than for treating nasal congestion, will not be eligible for health insurance coverage.On Thursday, the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) released
Controversy is brewing over the transfer of Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung from Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH) to Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) after he was attacked with a knife by a man in his 60s in Gadeokdo, Busan.Experts said it was appropriate to transfer
Korea’s medical field has been walking on thin ice due to recent court rulings restricting physicians.These came on top of the government policies prohibiting doctors from refusing to admit critically ill patients to emergency rooms while revoking physicians’ licenses if they are sentenced to jail t
The government said it would reduce health insurance coverage for lower abdominal and urinary ultrasound exams, beginning next year. This initiative is aimed at curbing overtesting and preventing the misallocation of health insurance funds. Earlier this year, the government reduced benefits for uppe
Eight clinics that accept appointments exclusively through the mobile application, Ddocdoc, have received administrative guidance from government officials for possible violations of the Medical Service Act. Administrative guidance is non-binding advice.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that i
One-thousand-and-two medical residents have applied to the "Big 5" hospitals for specialty training. It’s about a quarter of the total trainee doctors.However, even the Big 5 hospitals could not avoid the polarization of applications for specialties. The five largest hospitals headquartered in Seoul