S. Korea to significantly upgrade military medical services

SEOUL, June 14 (Yonhap) -- The government is considering privatizing or having civilian experts run military hospitals in an effort to significantly upgrade their capabilities and services, an official said.
The remark from national security adviser Chun Yung-woo came after a series of revelations that military medical staff mishandled patients, including diagnosing symptoms of inflammation in the brain, known as encephalomeningitis, as those of a cold, which led to the death of a new conscript.
"Parents who send their children to the military shouldn't be worried about the level of military medical services or misdiagnosis," Chun said during a meeting Monday with exemplary noncommissioned officers. "Military medical institutions of the Republic of Korea should be at the top level."
By law, all physically fit South Korean men must serve in the military for about two years.
Privatizing military hospitals or commissioning civilian experts to operate them are among the measures under consideration to upgrade the institutions to the level of top civilian hospitals, such as Samsung Medical Center or Asan Medical Center in Seoul, Chun said.
jschang@yna.co.kr
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