Vice Minister of Welfare Park Min-su: "Health and Medical Workers' Union Must Withdraw Strike and Protect Patients"…Emergency Meeting of Senior Hospital Directors

As the nationwide general strike by the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) on the 13th enters its final countdown, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held an emergency meeting with the heads of tertiary hospitals participating in the strike to discuss countermeasures to prevent medical service gaps.

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is speaking at a meeting with heads of tertiary hospitals regarding the Health and Medical Workers' Union strike held on the afternoon of the 13th at Seoul City Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 12th, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, held an emergency situation inspection meeting with the heads of tertiary hospitals at Seoul City Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul. Among the 45 tertiary hospitals nationwide, 18 hospital directors participating in the KHMU strike attended the meeting.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has formed a 'Medical Institution Strike Situation Inspection Team' and continuously monitored the response system in preparation for the general strike. They issued a 'Concern' level alert for the health and medical disaster crisis and have been operating 'Emergency Medical Response Situation Rooms by Province and City' since the 11th.

Through this, a 24-hour emergency medical system, including emergency medical centers, is being maintained. Each local government has identified emergency medical institutions and the list of hospitals and clinics currently providing treatment, informing residents and posting the information on public health center websites. Additionally, lists of medical institutions expected to experience treatment disruptions were provided through the Health and Welfare Call Center and other channels.

Vice Minister Park stated, "At a time when the government is pursuing various policies to improve the medical field, a strike that could cause serious harm to patients' lives and health by citing the timing of government policy implementation is unjustifiable. The KHMU should withdraw its strike plan and stay by the patients' side." He added, "The government will continue to implement essential medical measures and nursing workforce support plans without disruption while continuously listening to and supplementing the voices from the field."

He also urged the heads of tertiary hospitals, saying, "Please ensure that essential services such as emergency rooms, intensive care units, and operating rooms in medical institutions are faithfully maintained, and that healthcare workers perform their duties as usual to stay by the patients' side." Vice Minister Park also listened to the labor-management negotiation status and response plans of each medical institution and requested cooperation with local medical institutions to ensure no negligence in patient care.