KMA Holds Overnight Protest in Front of Presidential Office to Block Medical School Expansion... "Will Respond Strongly"

The Korean Medical Association held an overnight protest in front of the Presidential Office in opposition to the government's plan to increase the quota for medical school admissions.

Lee Pil-su, President of the Korean Medical Association (center), is speaking at the "All-Medical Community Special Committee Overnight Protest and One-Person Relay Protest to Prevent the Collapse of Medical Care in Korea" on the night of the 6th.
[Photo by Korean Medical Association]

The "Special Committee for Countermeasures of the Medical Community to Prevent the Collapse of Healthcare in the Republic of Korea" (Special Committee) held an overnight protest at the tent encampments set up in front of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and in the yard of the Korean Medical Association building in Ichon-dong at 10 p.m. on the 6th. The Special Committee is a committee formed by the Medical Association along with other medical organizations to block the increase in medical school quotas.

The overnight protests, which started simultaneously at both locations, lasted from 10 p.m. the previous day until 7 a.m. on the 7th. The protests concluded with a rally at the tent encampment in front of the Korean Medical Association building at 8 a.m. that day.

Lee Pil-su, chairman of the Special Committee (President of the Korean Medical Association), stated, "Through overnight and relay protests, the entire medical community, including the Special Committee, will strongly respond to the government's unilateral and unreasonable policy implementation," adding, "Following the established roadmap, including a strike vote among all members and the nationwide doctors' rally on the 17th, we will unite 140,000 members and 20,000 medical students nationwide to actively block the government's unilateral push to increase medical school quotas."

Chairman Lee urged the government, saying, "The September 4 medical agreement should be faithfully implemented, and issues such as medical school quotas, telemedicine, and the pilot project for herbal medicine insurance coverage should be resolved through discussion and agreement within the Medical Issues Consultative Body."

Former Korean Medical Association President Choi Dae-jip also said, "No matter what reasons are given, we absolutely cannot accept the increase, and we will fight according to our professional conscience to block this misguided policy." Following Chairman Lee, former President Choi also held a head-shaving ceremony that day.

The Korean Medical Association decided on the 4th to form the Special Committee in opposition to the government's push to expand medical school quotas. The Special Committee will conduct a nationwide strike vote among all members starting on the 11th. On the 17th, a "Nationwide Doctors' Rally" will be held to take action to block the government's plan to increase medical school quotas.

Meanwhile, the government has begun serious discussions on increasing medical school quotas through the Medical Issues Consultative Body. Jeong Gyeong-sil, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated at the 20th meeting of the Medical Issues Consultative Body held the previous day, "An important issue that must be discussed along with the policy package is the expansion of the physician workforce," adding, "From today, we will discuss based on scientific evidence and statistics how many doctors will be needed in the mid-to-long term, and which fields and regions are lacking personnel."