Yoon Jae-ok "Medical Association's Strike Vote Disappointing... No Intention to Unilaterally Push Staff Expansion"

Yoon Jae-ok, the floor leader of the People Power Party, expressed that he is "deeply disappointed" by the Korea Medical Association's decision to hold a 'strike referendum' over the issue of expanding medical school quotas. Yoon stated, "The government and ruling party have no intention of unilaterally pushing forward the expansion of medical school quotas while ignoring the opinions of the stakeholders."

At the People Power Party floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly that day, Yoon said, "The KMA has entered a strike referendum starting yesterday regarding the government's plan to expand medical school quotas," and criticized, "It is deeply disappointing that the KMA made such a decision while channels for dialogue with the government remain open."

Yoon Jae-ok, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 12th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He reaffirmed that although the expansion of medical school quotas is necessary, there will be no unilateral increase.

Yoon emphasized, "Our country's doctors face a serious situation where emergency room rotations, 'wonjeong' childbirth (giving birth away from one's residence), and 'wonjeong' hospitalization have become commonplace," adding, "Especially, essential medical services show clear signs of collapse. If we do not take action immediately, the increasing demand for medical services due to aging will soon lead to a collapse of the entire healthcare system in our country." He warned, "If the country needs 100 doctors but only has 50, no matter how well they are allocated, it is impossible to prevent the collapse of essential medical services and local healthcare." He continued, "The government is well aware that simply expanding medical school quotas cannot solve all the problems currently faced by our healthcare system. However, there is no doubt that quota expansion is a fundamental premise for solving these issues."

He also highlighted the necessity of quota expansion by referring to public opinion and overseas cases. Yoon said, "The United Kingdom, which has a population similar to ours, has decided to increase its medical school quotas to 15,000 by 2031," and added, "Eight out of ten citizens, who witness signs of healthcare collapse daily, support the expansion of medical school quotas, and the political sphere has reached consensus on this issue."

Emphasizing that there will be no unilateral resolution, Yoon stated, "The KMA has no reason to show strength through strikes or protests." He added, "Healthcare is a humanitarian art that cares for the lives and health of the people, and I hope that issues in the medical community can be resolved not through power struggles but based on the goodwill of the stakeholders."