Structural Transformation of the Korean Healthcare System to Protect National Health Rights:From the Perspective of Consumers and Primary Care
10.21215/kjfp.2026.16.1.9
- Author:
Mihwa YOO
1
;
Hee Gyung KANG
;
Jae-Heon KANG
;
Minjoung KO
;
Jong Myoung KIM
;
Kunhee PARK
;
Serng Bai PAK
;
Chiwon SEO
;
Junghee AHN
;
Juhwan OH
;
Eunyoung CHO
;
Eun Jin HA
Author Information
1. National Council of the Green Consumers Network in Korea, Korea
- Publication Type:Review Article
- From:
Korean Journal of Family Practice
2026;16(1):9-12
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The South Korean healthcare system has achieved rapid quantitative growth; however, it continues to face critical challenges in ensuring the fundamental right to health of its citizens. From the perspective of healthcare consumers and civil society, this article identifies structural problems such as imbalances in medical accessibility, instability in essential and emergency care, and the limited participation of consumers in healthcare policy-making. Although the constitution stipulates the state’s responsibility to protect public health, current healthcare policies often prioritize administrative efficiency and provider-centered interests over patient experiences and health outcomes. In particular, this article argues that these challenges are closely related to the inadequate functioning of an accountable healthcare management framework. Structural failures in essential care, workforce shortages, and regional disparities are insufficiently monitored and addressed at the system level, resulting in responsibilities being blurred or shifted to individual healthcare providers. Consequently, the risks and burdens arising from systemic weaknesses are ultimately borne by citizens. To address these issues, this article emphasizes two major shifts. First, meaningful consumer participation must be institutionalized within healthcare governance to strengthen accountability, transparency, and responsiveness. Second, family medicine and primary care should be reinforced as the cornerstone of a sustainable, community-based healthcare system that ensures continuity of care, prevention, and chronic disease management. Re-establishing the healthcare system based on the right to health is not merely a technical adjustment, but a structural transformation toward a responsible and accountable system in which the state clearly assumes responsibility for monitoring, learning, and corrective action.
