The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to allow foreign doctors to practice medicine on a limited scale.
The ministry unveiled the plan during a public hearing Friday aimed at opening the door for foreign doctors and dentists to practice while they receive training here.
Under the current law, foreigners with a medical license are allowed to practice a limited scope for educational or research purposes after getting permission from the Health Ministry.
But due to a lack of actual guidelines and detailed rules, foreign doctors who came to Korea to learn advanced skills could not actually get first-hand experience.
The ministry, by devising detailed guidelines for permission, aims to enhance the efficacy of training programs for foreign doctors, it said.
The unveiled guidelines request domestic institutions that run the medical training program to apply for the permission.
A committee will be formed to review the applications and decide whether to give the green light, the ministry explained.
The range of medical practices is limited to what the permission allows, and patients should be informed in advance.
The ministry plans to accept opinions through public hearings and prepare more specific rules in the future, it said.
By Kim Young-won (
wone0102@heraldcorp.com)
