Doctors, pharmacists, gov¡¯t to discuss re-revision of pharmaceutical affairs law

The government, doctors and pharmacists will discuss the controversial question of re-revising the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in their consultative council meeting on Wednesday at the earliest.

The three parties plans to produce a final agreement after discussing the core issues of sales units of ordinary medicines, the boundary for the prevention of preparing medicines without doctor¡¯s prescriptions and the re-classification of medicines.

If the negotiations proceed smoothly, the interns and residents are expected to end their strike in stages to help solve the months-long dispute over the separation of the roles of doctors and pharmacists.

Making public the contents of their dialogue so far in the form of an interim announcement Tuesday, the government and the medical circle said they agreed to discuss the direction of revising the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in the consultative meeting.

They also agreed to increase to 40 percent from the present 29 percent the subsidies from the state offer to regional medical insurance by 2005.

The two sides, under the goal of raising the state subsidies to up to 50 percent in the long run, decided to increase the rate by 2-3 percent annually. Next year¡¯s subsidies for the regional medical insurance are set at 1.9009 trillion won, so an annual 2-3 percent increase means an additional 200 billion won.

They also agreed to import the ``open hospital system¡± under which doctors at clinics treat their patients at hospitals or general hospitals in order to have patients use clinics, hospitals and general hospitals evenly.

Other bones of contention will be discussed in the special committee for the reform of the medical care system to be placed under the direct control of the President. They include the phased expansion of the boundaries for medical insurance allowance, raising medical consultation fees and premium rates, the reform of medical fees under medical insurance, ways to stabilize medical insurance finance, legislation of medical dispute arbitration law and measures to support interns and residents.

In order to improve the quality of medical university education, the government has decided to push through the already announced plan to reduce the entrance quota by 10 percent on a gradual basis.

It seems that the months-long strike of doctors may end as the doctors and government agreed in principle on revising the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law again. However, the government has been under fire for accepting the doctors¡¯ demand to boost medical prescription fees and virtually postponing indefinitely the implementation of the chief physician system it has pursued for the convenience of patients.

A pan-national committee ¡°working to protect people¡¯s health and to put an end to doctors¡¯ strike¡± demanded the resignation of Health and Welfare Minister Choi Sun-Jung, claiming that agreements between the government and doctors are null and void because the government only strengthened the vested rights of doctors by handing over the right to decide on health and medical policies to the medical circle. The committee¡¯s leading members are the Participatory Solidarity for Democracy and the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions.