To address persistent healthcare challenges such as the concentration of services in metropolitan areas and a shortage of local medical personnel, artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be fully implemented. AI packages designed to assist with medical care will be distributed to local health centers and clinics, and a real-time emergency AI platform will be established to guide patients from ambulance transport to appropriate hospital selection, marking a significant step toward healthcare innovation that the public can feel.
On July 22, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the "AI Basic Healthcare Strategy" in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and other relevant agencies to fill gaps in local, essential, and public healthcare. This strategy aims to leverage advanced AI technology to overcome physical limitations and provide top-tier medical services nationwide.
The initiative will first implement a "Primary Care AI Transformation (AX)" that the public can experience in their daily lives. To supplement the capabilities of healthcare professionals in underserved areas, a "Primary Care AI Solution" will be introduced in health centers and clinics across the country. Essential clinics located in vulnerable areas will receive "Primary Care AX vouchers," and AI-based remote consultations will be piloted through home visit nurses in island and remote regions.
An "Emergency Medical AX" will also be activated to protect the golden hour for emergency patients. The government will promote the testing and expansion of a proposed "Emergency Integrated AI Platform" that supports real-time AI analysis from ambulance transport to hospital selection, while enhancing a central emergency control system to verify hospitals' final treatment capabilities in real time.
Patients will benefit from a "National AI Health Assistant" service that simplifies complex medical terminology, and a system for sharing medical records and imaging between hospitals will be established through personal health records (PHR).
To ensure access to advanced medical care nationwide, infrastructure will be expanded. Seventy-two regional and local responsible medical institutions will utilize cutting-edge AI solutions through the proposed "Public Healthcare AI Highway" to bridge healthcare disparities. Additionally, an "AI Intelligent Hospital Information System" will be developed to ensure that all in-hospital services, including treatment, nursing, and surgery, operate on an AI basis, leading to the creation of an "AI Native Hospital" ecosystem.
From a data and ecosystem perspective, a hub will be established to integrate national healthcare data scattered across public institutions and national university hospitals. The government plans to develop a unique "Korean Medical AI (Sovereign Medical AI)" based on domestic clinical data to reduce reliance on foreign technologies.
Furthermore, the government will pursue the rationalization of regulations regarding de-identified pseudonymized data in line with the AI era, and establish a fair compensation system for optimal AI-based medical services, along with ethical and security guidelines for safe medical AI, to support a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong stated, "AI is a tool to fill the gaps in local, essential, and public healthcare and to protect the lives of citizens," adding, "We will implement the 'AI Basic Healthcare Strategy' without fail in collaboration with relevant agencies to address these gaps."
Additionally, Baek Kyung-hoon, Vice Chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee and Deputy Minister of Science and ICT, remarked, "The AI Basic Healthcare Strategy is one of the key tasks in realizing a society with AI for all. We will contribute to the swift execution of policies through communication and coordination among stakeholders."
On July 22, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the "AI Basic Healthcare Strategy" in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and ICT and other relevant agencies to fill gaps in local, essential, and public healthcare. This strategy aims to leverage advanced AI technology to overcome physical limitations and provide top-tier medical services nationwide.
The initiative will first implement a "Primary Care AI Transformation (AX)" that the public can experience in their daily lives. To supplement the capabilities of healthcare professionals in underserved areas, a "Primary Care AI Solution" will be introduced in health centers and clinics across the country. Essential clinics located in vulnerable areas will receive "Primary Care AX vouchers," and AI-based remote consultations will be piloted through home visit nurses in island and remote regions.
An "Emergency Medical AX" will also be activated to protect the golden hour for emergency patients. The government will promote the testing and expansion of a proposed "Emergency Integrated AI Platform" that supports real-time AI analysis from ambulance transport to hospital selection, while enhancing a central emergency control system to verify hospitals' final treatment capabilities in real time.
Patients will benefit from a "National AI Health Assistant" service that simplifies complex medical terminology, and a system for sharing medical records and imaging between hospitals will be established through personal health records (PHR).
To ensure access to advanced medical care nationwide, infrastructure will be expanded. Seventy-two regional and local responsible medical institutions will utilize cutting-edge AI solutions through the proposed "Public Healthcare AI Highway" to bridge healthcare disparities. Additionally, an "AI Intelligent Hospital Information System" will be developed to ensure that all in-hospital services, including treatment, nursing, and surgery, operate on an AI basis, leading to the creation of an "AI Native Hospital" ecosystem.
From a data and ecosystem perspective, a hub will be established to integrate national healthcare data scattered across public institutions and national university hospitals. The government plans to develop a unique "Korean Medical AI (Sovereign Medical AI)" based on domestic clinical data to reduce reliance on foreign technologies.
Furthermore, the government will pursue the rationalization of regulations regarding de-identified pseudonymized data in line with the AI era, and establish a fair compensation system for optimal AI-based medical services, along with ethical and security guidelines for safe medical AI, to support a sustainable innovation ecosystem.
Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong stated, "AI is a tool to fill the gaps in local, essential, and public healthcare and to protect the lives of citizens," adding, "We will implement the 'AI Basic Healthcare Strategy' without fail in collaboration with relevant agencies to address these gaps."
Additionally, Baek Kyung-hoon, Vice Chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee and Deputy Minister of Science and ICT, remarked, "The AI Basic Healthcare Strategy is one of the key tasks in realizing a society with AI for all. We will contribute to the swift execution of policies through communication and coordination among stakeholders."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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