[D-1 Doctors' General Strike] Hostage to Public Lives... Government-Medical Chicken Game (Summary)

Met 5 Times Over Three Days but Going in Circles... "Both Sides Bear Burden of Emergency Conflict"

President Choi Dae-jip of the Korean Medical Association is listening to the opening remarks while meeting with Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporters Seo So-jeong, Choi Dae-yeol] On the 26th, as the second general strike of the Korean Medical Association is announced, concerns over medical service gaps are growing as not only residents (interns and residents), the core personnel of large hospitals, but also clinical fellows (clinical instructors, fellows) have joined the indefinite strike. In the crisis situation of the resurgence of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), virtually all doctors nationwide have decided to participate in the strike, making disruptions to the medical system inevitable. Although negotiations with the government are ongoing, there are also criticisms that a game of chicken is being played, holding the lives of the public hostage.

◆ Tug of War on the Eve of the General Strike = Negotiations between the medical community and the government continued until dawn on the 25th, a day before the doctors' second general strike, and resumed again in the morning, but remain at a stalemate. Earlier, on the 23rd, a meeting between Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and the Korean Intern and Resident Association opened the previously blocked dialogue between the medical community and the government. On the following day, the 24th, government officials including Prime Minister Chung and Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo met with Korean Medical Association President Choi Dae-jip and other medical leaders, agreeing on the necessity of dialogue but failing to reach a consensus. As negotiations reached an impasse and the situation headed toward a crisis, it was reported that Minister Park and President Choi met separately late at dawn on the 25th, leading to a decision to maintain the consultative body. Despite five face-to-face meetings over the past three days, the gap between the two sides remains wide. A Korean Medical Association official said, "We are continuing dialogue with the government, but significant differences remain," adding, "We will try to continue talks as much as possible in the remaining time."

In this situation, if the doctors' second general strike proceeds from the 26th to the 28th, concerns are growing that the damage will be directly passed on to patients. According to the Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Fellows Association, about 300 clinical fellows from three hospitals?Seoul National University Hospital, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, and Boramae Hospital?joined the indefinite strike starting at 7 a.m. the previous day. Following the residents, clinical fellows at Seoul National University Hospital, a national university hospital, have also launched an indefinite strike demanding the withdrawal of government policies such as increasing medical school quotas. It is also analyzed that the pressure exerted by Seoul National University Hospital, which sent enforcement messages prohibiting residents from participating in the strike a day before the Korean Medical Association's strike on the 14th, triggered backlash not only from residents but also from clinical fellows.

Additionally, clinical fellows from the so-called "Big 5" tertiary hospitals, including Asan Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, are also joining the strike one after another, making the medical service gap more visible. A Clinical Fellows Association official stated, "We are joining the residents' indefinite strike to improve the government's four major medical policies (increasing medical school quotas, establishing a public medical school, coverage of herbal medicine, and telemedicine) which have problems."

◆ Disruptions to Surgery Schedules at Large Hospitals... "Must Be Resolved Through Dialogue" = With all doctors nationwide, from residents and clinical fellows at university hospitals to private practitioners, deciding to participate in the strike amid the COVID-19 resurgence crisis, disruptions to the medical system are feared. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of the 24th, inquiries to 151 out of 200 resident training institutions showed that out of 8,679 current residents, 6,021 were not working, accounting for 69.4% suspension of clinical duties.

Immediately, hospitals are experiencing disruptions in patients' surgery schedules as core personnel such as residents and clinical fellows withdraw. Samsung Medical Center has inevitably postponed 115 scheduled surgeries from the 24th to the 26th. A Samsung Medical Center official said, "As core hospital personnel have withdrawn, we are asking patients for understanding and postponing non-urgent surgeries," adding, "We are adjusting schedules to perform surgeries for emergency or severe patients as much as possible."

Experts have voiced that the government and the medical community should stop the game of chicken and quickly find a consensus in this COVID-19 emergency situation. Shin Hyun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a doctor, said, "With nationwide COVID-19 spread saturating hospital beds, doctors' strikes prevent hospitals from actively responding to infectious diseases," adding, "The medical community should consider whether the strike is justified when patients' lives are threatened due to limited medical resources, and communicate with the government to prevent harm to the public." Professor Jung Sung-pil of the Emergency Medicine Department at Gangnam Severance Hospital said, "The medical community and government should return to the starting point and resolve the strike through dialogue," emphasizing, "Causing medical service gaps during the COVID-19 resurgence is a burden for both the medical organizations and the government."