Healthcare Workers' Union General Strike Countdown... Gyeongnam Province Takes Steps to Minimize Medical Service Gaps

Emergency Medical Response Situation Room Operated 24 Hours

Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 11th that it will activate an emergency system in response to the general strike planned by the Health and Medical Workers' Union on the 13th.

On June 28, the Health and Medical Industry Union, an industrial union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, filed a labor dispute adjustment request, prompting the government to issue a 'concern' level health and medical disaster crisis alert at its internal crisis evaluation meeting.

In response, Gyeongnam Province formed an emergency situation inspection team led by the Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau on the 29th of the same month to minimize confusion at medical sites.

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

The Health and Medical Workers' Union conducted a strike vote from the 28th of last month to the 7th of this month targeting 64,257 union members across 127 branches and 145 workplaces, with 91.63% of participants voting in favor.

Accordingly, about 40,000 union members of the Health and Medical Workers' Union nationwide, excluding essential medical personnel and doctors, working in approximately 60 occupations in hospitals, are expected to participate in the strike on the 13th.

This includes all occupations working in medical institutions other than doctors, such as nurses, pharmacists, nursing assistants, medical technicians, physical therapists, nutritionists, cooks, and cleaning workers.

The province established an emergency medical response plan on the 6th and activated the emergency medical response situation room on the 11th.

Until the strike ends, the province plans to take measures to prevent any medical service gaps by ▲ monitoring and inspecting the situation for any disruptions in medical use ▲ maintaining emergency medical systems at public health institutions ▲ and establishing cooperative systems with city and county health and medical organizations within the province.

Lee Do-wan, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau, said, "We will operate the 24-hour emergency medical response situation room and do our best to ensure that residents do not experience any inconvenience in receiving medical services."