Cooperation for Continuity of Care at Each Medical Institution and Public Promotion of Emergency Medical Institution Operation to Residents
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 12th that it will operate an ‘Emergency Medical Response Situation Room’ to minimize the medical service gap caused by the collective medical strike declared on the 14th.
The Korean Intern Resident Association and the Korean Medical Association have decided to proceed with a second strike on the 14th following the collective strike on the 7th to oppose the government’s healthcare policy, including increasing the quota of medical school admissions.
Gyeongsangnam-do will minimize the inconvenience to residents in using medical institutions and ensure that medical services are not disrupted by establishing emergency medical response situation rooms in the province and cities/counties and operating a 24-hour emergency medical system in case the collective strike is enforced.
To operate the emergency medical system, the province held an emergency meeting with heads of public health centers in cities/counties on the 6th to review emergency medical measures at public medical institutions such as health centers, and issued detailed guidelines to cities/counties regarding the ‘Order to Resume Medical Services and Work (under the Medical Service Act)’ to be enforced on medical institutions participating in the illegal collective strike.
The notice stated, “Since the collective strike causes inconvenience to residents’ medical care, each medical institution is ordered to provide medical services on the scheduled strike day (medical service order), and if it is unavoidable to close, they must report the closure to the health center at least four days in advance (closure report order).”
It also explained that if there is a concern that patient care will be severely disrupted, an order to resume work may be issued, and if this order is violated without justifiable reasons, penalties such as suspension of work may be imposed according to the Medical Service Act and related laws.
Shin Jong-woo, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau of the province, urged, “Please maintain medical services to minimize inconvenience to residents. We hope that the healthcare policy issues promoted by the government will be resolved through dialogue and communication with the medical community.”
Meanwhile, Gyeongsangnam-do plans to identify ‘medical institutions maintaining services and those planning to close’ and provide information on medical institutions through the websites and phone lines of the provincial and city/county health centers. In addition, they will actively promote information availability through the Health and Welfare Call Center (129), Emergency Situation Management Center (119), National Health Insurance Service Call Center (1577-1000), Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Call Center (1644-2000), and the Emergency Medical Portal.
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