Who Is Really Responsible For?

The Board of Audit and Inspection of Korea (BAIK) recently verified the misconducts of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s officials in charge of the separation of the pharmacy and the clinic, which eventually resulted in the financial crisis of the health insurance.

BAIK is to request the Ministry to reprimand 7 – 8 bureau directors and section chiefs related with the misconducts. BAIK accused that the Ministry of Health and Welfare curtailed and covered up potential side effects of the pharmacy-clinic separation policy and also accelerate the financial crisis of the health insurance by excessively raising the insurance premiums.

It is taken for granted that BAIK inspects the procedure of government operations and verifies the good or bad conducts of the government officials in order to grasp the problems of governmental policies and provide alternatives. When the Board finds out any problem, it has to call the related officials to account for the misconduct.

However, even though the bureau directors and section chiefs can not be excused from their responsibility, it is questionable that only those low officials are responsible for the financial crisis of the health insurance.

The main cause of the financial crisis of the national health insurance lies primarily in misjudgment and wrong decision of the policy rather than in the misconduct of the policy. As revealed by the upheavals related to health insurance, the policy of the pharmacy-clinic separation and the combined health insurance was not fully prepared.

The government and the ruling party unreasonably have driven the policy, which was a campaign promise of the last presidential election. The increase of the insurance premium, which was pointed out by BAIK, had been decided at the ministerial meeting presided by the Prime Minister to settle down the strikes of the clinical circles.

No government officials could dare to oppose the health reform policy, which was one of the reformation project of the President. Government officials could not but follow the decision of the government and the ruling party. The officials of the Ministry of Health and Welfare complained that it was virtually impossible to oppose to the policy on such a witch-hunting atmosphere. Those who opposed the reform policy was blamed as anti-reformists and was forced to be silent. Even when the officials raised the problems of the policy, most of them were ignored at the meeting of the government and the ruling party.

Officials of the ministry complained, ``Where are politicians and civic organizations who had greatly influenced on the policy? Why the responsibility is only on us?``

Therefore, the reprimand of the working groups is criticized as `scapegoating.` President Kim Dae-Jung remarked, ``I am greatly responsible for the problems of the pharmacy-clinic separation policy,`` at the Supreme council meeting of the ruling party. However, it is reportedly said that the President uttered that he was deceived by the Minister of the Health and Welfare. He seems attribute the responsibility of the misconducts to the lower levels of the government institution. The inspection report of BAIK was also questioned by some critics saying that the report was released to vindicate the innocence of the President.

It is not appropriate for the President, who holds unconditional responsibility, to say that he was `deceived.` The parliamentary investigation is recommended to thoroughly verify the responsibility of the policy failure and to stabilize the new health system.