초록
Purpose : The purpose of this study is to check the current status of accessability to rehabilitation therapy in local areas and to review how to improve the accessability. In fact, first, it is very hard for patients to find out a local medical center with rehabilitation therapy capability. Moreover they needs to wait long time to get a treatment they need, because of lack of nearby rehabilitation centers. The best way to enhance the accessability to the rehabilitation therapy service is to allow therapists to set up rehabilitation centers in local areas on their own, physically independent from medical doctors. Basically, the current law does not prohibit therapists' own sole practice. However, it needs to be amended by inserting an explicit legal basis on the setting-up process. If it is legally permissible for the therapists to set up rehabilitation centers to perform a rehabilitation treatment with referrals from of medical doctors (though physically independent from the doctors), it would result in the increase of profits for the doctors and at the same time raise therapists' freedom of occupation, a constitutional right. Furthermore, with their own places to practice, therapists will have to compete with other therapists, that would raise the quality of their treatments, which will in turn benefit patients ultimately. A proposed bill of amendments to the Act on Medical Technicians and etc. is pending for review at the National Assembly. I look forward to vigorous discussion on the bill based on this article, and resulting in revision of the law for the benefits of patients.