Keeping Up-To-Date Register of Qualified Doctors with Good Standing

Free migration of health professionals in the WTO Doha Development Agenda has become a major concern among member countries. Keeping up-to-date registers of qualified doctors with good standing is crucial to protect the society. The Ministry of Health is the medical licensing authority in Korea. However, the stamping and distribution of the licences for the 21 different health professionals are the only functions of the authority so far. Once licence is issued, it can be used without further super-vision or evaluation, even when fitness to practice may be in doubt. To claim the equivalence of quality of the licence, each country should develop sophisticated systems of supervising maintenance of competence of doctors like the General Medical Council of the U.K., The Provincial Licensing Authorities of Canada, or the National Medical Council of France. These licensing bodies are established by national law for the public interest and not by doctors themselves, as opposed to the regional medical associations whose main concerns are money and work. This type of social system represents an effort to keep the autonomy of health professionals by rigorous self-control. Therefore the public supports the decision of licensing authorities regarding the conflicts raised from medical malpractice. By doing so, these organizations can lead the good medical practice and promote high standards of medical education. Faced with the globalization phenomena, it is the right time to establish an independent civilian licensing authority in Korea which would enable fellow doctors to devote themselves to the maintenance of high standards of professionalism.