Government waters down plan to relax ward segregation after public backlash A two-person room at a university hospital in South Korea (Getty Images Bank) The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday withdrew a proposed amendment that would have lifted the long-standing requirement for hospital rooms to be separated by sex, following backlash over privacy and safety concerns.Since 2012, hospital rooms in Korea have been required to be segregated by sex under Article 35 of the Enforcement Rule of the Medical Service Act. Violations can result in administrative penalties, including a corrective order and a 15-day suspension of operations.The latest revision to remove the requirement, announced Wednesday, came amid growing complaints from hospitals that spouses and immediate family members could not share the same room even when hospitalized together, increasing caregiving burdens."There are already cases in which spouses share hospital rooms, and most children's hospitals do not separate multibed rooms by sex. The proposal was part of an effort to eliminate unnecessary regulations that do not reflect current practices in the medical field," a ministry official explained.However, the proposed deregulation quickly drew fire.As of Monday, 4,127 comments had been posted on the National Legislation Information Center website regarding the proposed revision, most of them opposing the change."Patients engage in highly private activities, such as sleeping, washing, changing clothes and receiving medical treatment. No matter how many curtains are installed, sharing the same space with patients of the opposite sex can cause significant discomfort and psychological stress," one commenter wrote."Safety concerns, including the risk of sexual assault and illegal filming, should not be overlooked. Elderly patients and minors are especially vulnerable," another wrote.The ministry responded to the mounting criticism by revising the proposal to retain the requirement while allowing limited exceptions.Under the revised plan, the sex segregation requirement would not apply to intensive care units or two-person rooms shared by spouses or family members.