Ministry of Health and Welfare Must Present Mid-to-Long-Term Roadmap

Rep. Lee Ki-woo raised questions during the parliamentary inspection of the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 4th regarding △establishment of a grand plan to improve quality of life △laying institutional groundwork for decentralized social welfare services △expansion of public healthcare, among other matters.

During the inspection that day, Rep. Lee urged, "In a situation where decentralized state governance is being implemented, the Welfare Ministry, as the supervising department of social welfare and cultural policy, must prepare a grand plan that can upgrade the people's quality of life as a core government department for future society."

Rep. Lee stated, "To achieve this, bold organizational innovation and a mid-to-long-term roadmap must be established," adding, "The Welfare Ministry must maintain its position as a core department within the government."

▲ On the 4th, the briefing room of the Ministry of Health and Welfare located in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. Minister Kim Geun-tae of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and related staff take the witness oath. ⓒ Kim Jin-seok

He further noted, "There are aspects where the transfer of social welfare services to local governments is being carried out without sufficient consultation with local governments," questioning, "Differences in regional welfare capacity are emerging depending on fiscal self-sufficiency—what are the measures to address this?"

In particular, he stressed the need for institutional supplementation, stating, "If the transfer of welfare services to local governments is not effectively managed, there is a concern that some welfare services may become discretionary administrative actions by heads of local governments."

During the inspection that day, Rep. Lee also urged the expansion of public healthcare services and the necessity of a medical institution evaluation body.

Rep. Lee stated, "To expand the public healthcare system, assessment and evaluation of existing public healthcare systems must take priority over establishing new facilities," and presented the view that "a plan to establish mid-level medical institutions connecting health centers and public hospitals is necessary."

He further argued, "To provide efficient medical services to the people, it is necessary to establish a permanent and independent third-party medical institution evaluation body."

<Yeouido Communications = Reporter Kim Dong-hyun>