Legislative Issues Regarding Transplant Act / 대한이식학회지

The Korean Transplant Act has been revised five times since 1999, and each revision has resulted in a slight donation rate increased; however, the organ shortage had not been solved. As a result, further revision of the Transplant Act is needed. The current focuses solely on efficiency for transplantation. Therefore, this study suggests a paradigm shift in the revision of the act through the virtuous cycle for activating donation; namely, from an efficiency-based transplant system to a donor-centered transplant system.

Current Status and Corresponding Strategy of Transplant Tourism / 대한이식학회지

Transplant tourism (TT) has developed into a global concern for international organizations, transplant communities, researchers, and the press. Increasing the knowledge of organ trafficking and TT is essential to raise awareness and prepare responses that will prevent the occurrence of illicit organ transplantation through TT. This review article describes the current status and legal framework of international organ trafficking and TT. Collection and analysis of data concerning TT from national and international registries will provide the best estimates of global activities, which are necessary to develop an appropriate local and worldwide collaborative response to organ trafficking and TT. International collaboration and multifaceted strategies are needed to address the complex challenges of TT.

Current status and plans for development of medical self-regulation in Korea

Following several medical scandals, the issue of medical regulation has come under the spotlight in the Republic of Korea. In this article, the authors examine the administrative measures newly required of doctors in the past five years in order to illustrate the current state of medical regulation and demonstrate the urgent need for self-regulation. The history of the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom and its newly launched system of "revalidation" can provide an instructive example of a self-regulation system, and it suggests several principles for self-regulation in Korea. The recent disarray can be viewed as an opportunity to introduce a new system of self-regulation. The authors present three principles-professionalism, transparency, and fairness-for a successful system of medical regulation.