South Korea to Deploy AI in Public Health Centers, Safety Concerns Raised

South Korea is set to integrate artificial intelligence into its public healthcare system, with AI-assisted medical tools slated for introduction in health centers and clinics nationwide starting in 2025. The government's "AI Basic Healthcare Strategy" aims to enhance daily medical services and build a digital infrastructure for AI innovation.

The plan includes deploying "Primary Care AI Support Tools" to assist with diagnosis, record-keeping, and health management in regional health centers and underserved areas. For remote regions like islands and mountainous areas, an "AI-based Non-face-to-face Remote Consultation" system will be piloted, enabling remote collaboration between local healthcare providers and doctors.

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AI should be a supplementary tool that reduces workload and enhances patient safety, not a means to replace medical personnel.

Furthermore, an "Emergency Integrated AI Platform" will be trialed in Daegu later this year to optimize emergency patient transport, from initial dispatch to hospital selection. This system will be gradually expanded to other regions. The government also plans to develop "Intelligent (Smart) Emergency Rooms" to support medical staff in decision-making processes like patient classification and monitoring.

To address the financial barriers for public hospitals, an "Public Medical AI Highway" platform will be established, connecting medical AI systems. This initiative aims to equip 72 regional and core medical institutions with advanced cloud-based systems by 2029, replacing outdated infrastructure. However, patient safety advocates, including the Korean Federation of Public Health and Medical Workers' Unions, caution that regulatory frameworks addressing patient safety, data privacy, and accountability must be prioritized before the widespread adoption of AI in healthcare. They emphasize that AI should augment, not replace, medical personnel.

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An assessment of changes in workload and staffing, and the impact on patient safety, along with standards for personal information protection and clinical responsibility, must be established before and after AI adoption.