The National Assembly is pushing to mandate braille and sign language use on medical certificates and prescriptions for visually and hearing-impaired people.

Rep. Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea recently proposed a bill to amend the Medical Service Act to that effect.

The main content of the amendment is to mandate the marking of braille, voice, and sign language video conversion codes so that the visually and hearing impaired can utilize medical certificates and prescriptions.

"The provision of necessary means, including braille, sign language, and text for information access and communication for the visually and hearing impaired is expanding,” Rep Kim said. “Containers and packaging of medicines and non-medicinal products must also be labeled with braille, voice, and sign language video conversion codes from July 2024."

However, medical certificates and prescriptions issued by medical institutions are not marked in braille to facilitate access for the visually and hearing impaired, Kim noted.

"Therefore, the amendment aims to ensure that the visually and hearing impaired have no inconvenience in utilizing medical certificates and prescriptions," Kim said while explaining the bill's purpose.