On July 13, Premier Sean Chen and the Department of Health (DOH) discussed strategies to revitalize the five major branches of hospitals (internal medicine, external medicine, gynecology, pediatric care and emergency care) and reduce the risk of malpractice suits.
To remedy shortages in the five major branches, the DOH proposed raising National Health Insurance (NHI) payment standards for care in those areas, increasing the salary of doctors in residence, adjusting the number of physicians being trained for each branch, expanding the supply of medical assistants and strengthening postgraduate training programs for both physicians in these fields and general medical practitioners.
The premier said in order for the policy to be implementable and convincing, NHI payment standards would have to be raised when the waste of medical resources is being reduced. For example, in addition to sending medical school graduates with government scholarships to offshore islands and remote and mountainous areas, the DOH could require funding recipients to serve in the branches with the greatest need for physicians, he suggested.
Although the ROC has more medical staff per capita than the average Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member nation, to sustain quality of care, medical personnel must be allocated appropriately among departments and regions, Chen said. He also recommended the agency conduct more refined analysis to complement planning for future policies on international medical care and other issues.
As for reducing malpractice suits, the DOH said that a pilot program will be launched October 1 this year under which victims of birth-related accidents will be entitled to assistance of up to NT$2 million (US$66,694) if they settle with the physician through conciliation or mediation. It will also work with the Ministry of Justice in drafting an amendment to Article 82, Paragraph 3 of the Medical Care Act in order to decriminalize medical negligence.
Premier Chen instructed the DOH to meticulously review the results of the pilot program. He also stated there is room for debate on criminal liability for medical negligence. He directed the Ministry of Justice to scrupulously evaluate this question by conducting public hearings to collect the opinions of various sectors as well as by studying other countries' relevant cases, laws and regulations.
Premier Chen also touched on the questions of how to increase nursing personnel and best provide medical care in remote areas and villages; he directed the Council for Economic Planning and Development, DOH, Ministry of National Defense, Directorate-General of Personnel Administration and several ministers without portfolio to research these issues and bring their findings to the next political affairs meetings, when there will be in-depth discussions.