Cabinet approves revised enforcement decree on cadaver dissection and preservation law; new framework established for institutions supplying bodies for educational purposes

An anatomy practical session. [Yonhap]
An anatomy practical session. [Yonhap]

South Korea is set to broaden the pool of qualified personnel allowed to perform and supervise cadaver dissections, with eligibility to be determined through review by a dedicated dissection deliberation committee.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that the Cabinet approved a revised enforcement decree of the Act on Cadaver Dissection and Preservation.

Under the revised decree, the existing requirement that a dissection-qualified physician must have worked as a full-time specialist at a general hospital for at least five years will be removed. Instead, physicians and dentists currently employed at medical, dental or traditional Korean medicine colleges, or at medical institutions, will be eligible to perform dissections upon review and approval by the cadaver dissection deliberation committee.

The qualifications for dissection supervisors are also being expanded. Faculty members — including associate professors, assistant professors and instructors — at medical colleges who did not major in anatomy, pathology or forensic medicine will be permitted to supervise dissections if they meet certain professional criteria: holding a master's or doctoral degree in a dissection-related field, completing at least nine credits in related coursework, or having at least four years of dissection-related experience.

The revised decree also establishes a legal basis for supplying cadavers — in whole or in part — to medical schools that face shortages of donated bodies, for use in student education.

Institutions authorized to supply cadavers for educational purposes must meet facility and staffing requirements, including an anatomy laboratory, examination room and body storage room; air purification, drainage, and heating, cooling and lighting systems; and personnel comprising a supervisor of at least assistant professor rank, a body-handling staff member, and a counselor for donation inquiries.

The decree also sets out a schedule of fines for violations of newly established legal obligations.

The amended law requires fines to be imposed on institutions that provide a cadaver without giving sufficient explanation to the bereaved family, or that fail to comply with reporting obligations regarding cadaver use through the information system. The enforcement decree sets fine amounts by number of violations: 2 million won ($1,440) for a first offense, 3 million won for a second, and 5 million won for a third.

Im Eul-gi, the ministry's director of medical resources policy, said the revision "expands the range of qualified personnel who can participate in cadaver dissection and supervision, and establishes specific licensing criteria for institutions that supply bodies for educational purposes to medical schools facing donation shortages." He added that the ministry would "manage the process so that donated cadavers are used appropriately, while honoring the noble intentions of donors."


thlee@heraldcorp.com