New Divisions for Essential & Public Healthcare proposed

Ministry requests approval from the Ministry of Interior and Safety

Plans also submitted to elevate the Integrated Care Bureau to department level

Minister Eun-kyeong Jeong emphasizes the need for a dedicated organization that strengthens director-level personnel for regional, essential, and public healthcare

MOHW begins major reorganization aimed at fulfilling President Lee’s national policy agenda

Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister Eun-kyeong Jeong

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has decided to establish a new director-level organization, the ‘Regional, Essential, and Public Healthcare Policy Office,’ to ensure the success of the Lee Jae-myung administration's national policy task of people-focused healthcare reform.

 

It has been confirmed that this request has been submitted to the Ministry of Interior and Safety as a top priority.

 

This effectively kicks off the organizational restructuring process, where the existing ‘Healthcare Policy Office’ under the Second Vice Minister will handle legislative and policy-based tasks, while the new ‘Regional, Essential, and Public Healthcare Policy Office’ will focus on practical healthcare reform initiatives such as the regional doctor system, public medical schools, and telemedicine projects.

 

Alongside the separate establishment of the Regional, Essential, and Public Healthcare Policy Office, the Ministry also conveyed to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety its request for the creation of a director-general level organization (second priority) dedicated to the ‘Integrated Support Act for Regional Care, including Medical and Nursing Care,’ set to take effect next March, and the establishment of a director-level ‘Pharmaceutical and Bio Industry Policy Office’ (third priority).

 

According to National Assembly and Ministry of Health and Welfare officials on the 14th, the Ministry is considering an organizational restructuring plan targeting successful healthcare reform, the smooth implementation of systems related to the Integrated Care Act, and the promotion of the domestic pharmaceutical and bio industry.

 

The Ministry has conveyed its request to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for the creation of a director-level organization and a bureau-level organization.

 

It plans to accelerate the administrative process for organizational restructuring and expansion based on the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's decision.

 

Currently, under the Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, there is one Office — the Healthcare Policy Office — and three Bureaus: the Health Insurance Policy Bureau, the Health Policy Bureau, and the Health Industry Policy Bureau.

 

Additionally, three temporary organizations—the National Pension Reform Support Team, the Biohealth Innovation Promotion Team, and the Medical Reform Promotion Team—are operating separately.

 

The Healthcare Policy Office is responsible for government legislative and administrative tasks concerning health and medical policy and health and healthcare finance overall.

 

Ministry of Health and Welfare Minister Eun-kyeong Jeong has emphasized the need for a dedicated unit focused on regional, essential, and public healthcare operations while maintaining the existing policy-based Healthcare Policy Office structure.

 

The rationale is that for the Lee administration to properly succeed with essential healthcare strengthening policies—which the previous Yoon administration failed to unilaterally implement, including plans to increase medical school enrollment by 2,000—a dedicated director-level organization for regional, essential, and public healthcare operations would be essential.

 

Currently, the Ministry has the ‘Medical Reform Promotion Team,’ a temporary director-level organization established during the Yoon administration.

 

Led by Director Gyeong-sil Jeong, this team is handling the transfer of related duties to the Public-Focused Medical Reform Committee following the launch of the Lee administration.

 

Minister Jeong is expected to abolish this temporary team and establish the new director-level Regional, Essential, and Public Healthcare Policy Office.

 

Furthermore, Minister Jeong reportedly holds the view that the Healthcare Industry Policy Bureau should be elevated to a director-level Pharmaceutical and Bio-Industry Policy Office to properly foster the domestic pharmaceutical-bio industry and biohealth industry.

 

She has also asked MOIS to elevate the temporary unit under the Senior Policy Office for Population and Social Services, which currently handles elderly policy, into a full-fledged “Integrated Care Bureau for Medical, Nursing, and Community Services.” As strengthening regional, essential, and public healthcare, fostering a globally competitive pharmaceutical and biotech industry, and ensuring a smooth landing for a regionally integrated care system are all presidential campaign pledges and national policy tasks, attention is focused on how much the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will accommodate the Ministry of Health and Welfare's requests.

 

Multiple officials from the National Assembly and the Ministry of Health and Welfare agree on the necessity of establishing a separate Regional-Essential-Public Policy Office alongside the Healthcare Policy Office.

 

The prevailing view is that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety must also accept the establishment of a Pharmaceutical and Bio Industry Policy Office and the elevation of the Integrated Care Bureau to successfully advance these national policy tasks.

 

An MOHW official stated, "The Healthcare Policy Office will operate as a policy and legislative foundation organization, while the Regional-Essential-Public Policy Office handles comprehensive administrative tasks by sector.

 

We see no overlap or conflict in their duties.

 

If the Regional-Essential-Public Policy Office takes charge of practical tasks related to regional healthcare, public medical schools, and advancing the healthcare delivery system, the work will be clearly separated.

 

Other ministries, such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, also have director-level organizations structured as Policy Division, Infrastructure Division, and Business Division."