Resident Doctors "Suspend Group Action, Return on 7th Day... 17 Days of Indefinite Strike (Comprehensive)"

Daejeon Association "Lower Protest Level to Stage 1 and Return to Medical Sites"... Ministry of Health "Welcomes"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Seo So-jeong and Jo Hyun-ui] Residents who had been on an indefinite strike for 17 days opposing major medical policies such as the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of public medical schools have decided to suspend their collective action and return to medical sites on the 7th.

Park Ji-hyun, Emergency Committee Chairperson of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), stated through a live broadcast on social media on the afternoon of the 6th, "The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has blurred the justification for collective action by 'rush signing' with the government and ruling party." KIRA decided to lower the level of protest to stage 1 (residents and students return, only one-person protests continue) and return to the field from 7 a.m. on the 7th.

Chairperson Park said, "Many people think the strike is over if it is not conducted in the current manner, but a phased strike is not the end but a regrouping." She added, "Even if we suspend collective action now, we must engrave our anger and despair and fundamentally reform the problems," emphasizing, "Our reform will never stop."

KIRA self-assessed that although the collective action over the past month was not 100% satisfactory, it was certainly meaningful.

Chairperson Park said, "We have formalized the suspension of the bill's promotion and the re-discussion from scratch," and "We have shown that young doctors can always unite to discuss and solve medical issues."

◆Hospital Professors "Support Return Decision"= Upon the residents' decision to return to work, the Emergency Committee of Seoul National University Hospital professors immediately issued a statement expressing their welcome. The committee stated on the 6th, "We fully trust and support the young doctors' emergency committee's decision for residents to return."

According to the committee, an urgent survey was conducted among 1,326 professors from five medical schools and hospitals, including Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, regarding residents' return to clinical practice. Among 819 respondents, 87.4% expressed support.

The committee said, "We express gratitude and respect for the young doctors who stopped the unilaterally progressing policy and ensured it is re-discussed from the beginning," and "We will request schools, hospitals, and the government to prevent harm to medical students, residents, and fellows."

They added, "We will strive to ensure the agreed contents are transparently implemented, and if policies are again unilaterally pushed forward, we will not stand by but take strong action," and "For the citizens who trusted and supported us and the patients who endured inconvenience, we will do our best with young doctors to create proper medical policies going forward."

◆Return Decision After Internal Struggles... Residents and Professors Even Clashed Physically= According to the emergency committee, there were significant internal struggles before KIRA made the final decision to return to work. Hardliners who argued that "the agreement between the KMA and the government/ruling party was a hasty agreement excluding the residents who were the main force of the strike and that collective action should continue" clashed with moderates who said, "Since the KMA has already reached an agreement, collective action should stop."

During this process, a motion of no confidence against Park Ji-hyun, KIRA Emergency Committee Chairperson, was even proposed but was rejected as 126 out of 197 delegates opposed it. Around 11:50 p.m. the previous day, a physical altercation broke out between residents and medical school professors during a KIRA meeting discussing return to clinical practice and protest levels, prompting police intervention. The emergency committee stated, "There were many internal disagreements, making consensus difficult," and "We agreed to suspend collective action while maintaining the emergency status and continuously monitor the implementation of the agreement."

The government also appears relieved by the residents' decision. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "We welcome the residents' decision to return to work on the 7th," and "We hope that residents will promptly return to medical sites amid the COVID-19 crisis to fill the medical gaps."