South Korea shields doctors from $1.2m claims

The government will pay the full $1,138 annual premium per specialist.

South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare has launched a state-funded liability insurance programme to protect essential healthcare workers from high financial compensation claims in medical accident cases, as reported by ChosunBiz last week.

Applications for medical institutions will open on 25 June.

Under the initiative, the government will fully cover insurance premiums for medical staff working in critical fields such as obstetrics, paediatrics, and emergency care.

For specialists, the maximum compensation limit for a medical accident is set at $1.2m (KRW1.8b). The insurance covers $1.1m (KRW1.65b) of this amount, whilst the medical institution pays the remaining $97,500 (KRW150m).

The state will pay the full annual premium of roughly $1,138 (KRW1.75m) per specialist, removing the financial burden from hospitals.

The programme expands previous coverage to include a wider range of healthcare professionals.

Eligible staff now include obstetricians with delivery records, specialists at maternal, child, and regional trauma centres, paediatric surgeons, and emergency room doctors.

Medical residents across eight departments, including internal medicine, surgery, and emergency medicine, are also covered up to $214,500 (KRW330m).

The state will pay the $195 (KRW300,000) annual premium per resident, with the medical institution covering $13,000 (KRW20m) of any accident claim.

($1.00 = KRW1549.92)