KPBMA head named to chair Korea's healthcare reform panel

The government has nominated Noh Yun-hong, head of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA), to chair the presidential Special Committee for Healthcare Reform.

The special committee is composed of a civilian chairman, government members representing six cabinet ministries, and 20 civilian members. It will handle sensitive healthcare reform issues under President Yoon Suk Yeol's direct jurisdiction.

After graduating from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Noh entered the public service by passing the 27th state examination for public administration.

Noh served as the director of the Insurance and Benefits Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the director-general of the Health and Medical Policy Headquarters, and the senior secretary for health and welfare affairs at the Office of the President.

Roh also served as the vice president of Gachon University from 2013 to 2018, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Reimbursement Evaluation Committee of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, advisor to the law firm Kim & Chang, and was appointed KPBMA chairman in February last year.

Out of the government's essential healthcare policy package, the special committee will tackle issues, including improving the internship system, improving the scope of work, advancing licensing management, introducing a regional system of essential doctors, reducing the criminal penalty for involuntary manslaughter in essential healthcare, establishing a medical institution safety mutual aid society, prohibiting mixed medical treatment, improving actual loss insurance system, and improving aesthetic medical care.

However, the Korean Medical Association has declared its refusal to participate in the special committee, saying that creating a new organization that is nothing more than a rubberstamp body will inevitably "cast doubt on the government’s authenticity."