Jeong Eun-kyung, the Minister of Health and Welfare nominee, noted during a personnel hearing held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 18th, "I will gradually apply health insurance to nursing hospital care costs, thereby strengthening public responsibility for care that has been recognized as the role of families."
Regarding the conflict between the medical community and the government triggered by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's expansion of medical school enrollments, the nominee stated, "I will promote healthcare reform that can resonate with both the public and the medical community," adding, "I will introduce a workforce supply and demand forecasting Commissioner to implement scientific estimates of appropriate personnel levels."
She said, "I will ensure a stable supply of regional, essential, and public healthcare personnel and provide adequate compensation," and added, "I will transfer the responsibilities of national university hospitals to the Ministry of Health and Welfare to develop them as the control tower for public and essential healthcare in the region."
She also stated that she would promote the systematization of non-face-to-face medical treatment, the establishment of a community-based primary healthcare system, and the alleviation of medical expenses for patients with rare and intractable diseases.
To strengthen the social safety net, the nominee said, "Through gradual expansion of child allowances and enhancing the national basic pension system, I will establish a life-cycle-based income guarantee system from children to the elderly." She also mentioned her intention to actively participate in discussions in the National Assembly's special committee on pension reform, aiming for the reforms enacted last year to produce results after 18 years.
She mentioned strengthening the basic livelihood security system, expanding paid sick leave, building a tailored response system for loneliness based on target groups, and improving the convenience of applying for welfare programs.
In the caregiving sector, she said that they would promote the nationwide expansion of integrated support services for healthcare, nursing, and caregiving, strengthen public responsibility for caregiving, enhance early detection and intervention for children with developmental disabilities, expand customized services for the disabled, and establish a state-centric adoption system.
The nominee emphasized the continued support for psychological and emotional assistance for infertility and pregnant women, ongoing support for fertility testing costs, sustained expansion of national investment in healthcare research and development (R&D) such as the K-bio and vaccine funds, and the establishment of a comprehensive training system for physician-scientists.
She stated, "Prolonged conflicts between the medical community and the government, increased demand for caregiving due to entering a super-aged society, and the highest senior poverty and suicide rates in the world are pressing issues that the Ministry of Health and Welfare must solve." She added, "If given the opportunity, I will leverage my accumulated experience and expertise to enhance the ministry's professional capabilities and communicate closely with experts in each field to gather opinions from the field," stating, "I will seek reasonable alternatives for health and welfare policies."