The National Audit of 17 public institutions under the Ministry of Health and Welfare highlighted issues such as the frequent overseas trips of the National Cancer Center director, poor management practices, and gaps in victim compensation following the proposed abolition of the compensation system for medical accidents. Lawmakers united in their criticism of the director's neglect of responsibilities and called for stricter government oversight.
On the morning of October 20, the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee conducted the 2026 National Audit with the attendance of heads of 17 institutions, including Go Sang-baek, president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, along with officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The session focused on the National Cancer Center's financial difficulties, the director's activities, loopholes in the medical dispute mediation system, and the reduced operation of the EMR (Electronic Medical Record) certification system.
"National Cancer Center Struggling with Debt... Director's 27 Overseas Trips Raise Eyebrows"
Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the Democratic Party sharply criticized the National Cancer Center's severe financial struggles and the frequent overseas trips taken by Director Yang Han-gwang. He stated, "The National Cancer Center is in such dire straits that it has to borrow money to pay doctors' salaries, yet the director, who took office in November 2024, has made 27 overseas trips this year alone—three times more than the president of Seoul National University Hospital and 4.5 times more than his predecessor."
Heo continued, "The number of stomach cancer surgeries has drastically decreased from 310 in 2023 to 206 this year. While the director is recognized as an expert in stomach cancer, shouldn't we prioritize appointing someone who excels in management for a public institution?"
In response, Director Yang stated, "There were no gaps in operations during my trips, and the costs were covered by the inviting institutions. I utilized my expertise as a leading authority in stomach cancer to benefit the center, and as a result, the number of international trainees visiting the center has significantly increased."
Lee So-hee: "Abolishing Compensation System Before Establishing Liability Insurance is Illogical... What About Victims?"
Concerns were also raised regarding the proposed abolition of the 'compensation system for medical accidents,' which allows the government to pay compensation when medical institutions are unable to do so. Rep. Lee So-hee of the People Power Party criticized the government's move to abolish this system under the pretext of mandating liability insurance, stating, "There are no penalties in place to directly sanction non-compliant medical institutions. Abolishing the last safety net, the compensation system, before liability insurance is fully established is illogical."
Lee further pointed out, "There are no protective measures for victims of 'incidents that occurred before implementation' who are still in litigation or awaiting final rulings and cannot file for compensation."
In response, Kwak Soon-hun, director of health policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, assured that they would explore various measures to ensure no gaps in compensation arise, including enforcing mandatory liability insurance.
"Exclusion of Nursing and Psychiatric Hospitals from EMR Certification? Health Information Agency's Arbitrary Reduction"
The operation of the EMR certification system by the Korea Health Information Agency also came under scrutiny. Rep. Kwon Chil-seung of the Democratic Party questioned the agency's decision to exclude dental, traditional medicine, psychiatric, and nursing hospitals from the certification process, stating, "There are no legal or ministry regulations that justify this exclusion, suggesting that the agency has arbitrarily reduced the scope."
Kwon emphasized that excluding nursing and psychiatric hospitals, which have large patient populations, from the expansion of certified institutions is problematic, asserting, "The Health Information Agency is failing to fulfill its role in managing comprehensive medical data."
In response, the head of the Health Information Agency stated, "We initially planned to pilot the program with clinics and hospitals before expanding it," but failed to provide clear criteria for the exclusions, drawing further criticism.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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