President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that medical reform should benefit everyone, and should not require sacrifices from the public or medical personnel.

The president made the remarks during a meeting with doctors at a cardiovascular hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, saying when medical personnel feel rewarded for their services, those receiving the services feel the benefits.

The visit to the facility, which is the nation’s only hospital specializing in cardiology, marks Yoon’s fourth visit to a medical facility in the capital region and the first to a specialist hospital.

During the visit, Yoon stressed the need for more compensation for those working in essential medical fields such as cardiology, adding that more state support is needed to facilitate the increase. 

The president said that his government has long been working to collect opinions from various people from the medical community to address long-standing issues. He offered examples of issues such as the growing gap in medical services between the capital region and the rest of the country and the fact that doctors’ compensation differs widely depending on their area of medicine.

Yoon underscored that complex and comprehensive reform can be achieved only when the doctors and nurses in various fields put their heads together and participate in discussions.