Government Holds Inter-Ministerial Working Meeting to Prepare for Medical Sector Collective Action... "Close Cooperation Needed"

The government has initiated working-level meetings with relevant ministries to prepare for collective actions by medical associations.

The "Central Accident Response Headquarters for Medical Professionals' Collective Action" is holding a meeting on the 7th at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Ministry of Health and Welfare]

The 'Central Emergency Response Headquarters for Doctors' Collective Action' held a working-level meeting on the 8th, chaired by Jeong Tongryeong, Director of the Central Emergency Medical Situation Room, together with nine related ministries. The participating ministries included the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Science and ICT, National Fire Agency, and National Police Agency.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had also discussed at the Central Emergency Response Headquarters meeting for doctors' collective action the establishment of a rapid inter-ministerial response system to illegal collective actions in advance, in cooperation with four related ministries: the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of National Defense, and National Police Agency.

At today's meeting of related ministries, the trends of doctors' collective action were shared with nine ministries including the Ministry of Education, emphasizing the need to operate the emergency medical system without disruption through close inter-ministerial cooperation to minimize medical service gaps caused by future collective actions.

Specifically, public health medical institutions will prepare their own emergency medical response plans and maintain thorough emergency contact networks with related agencies and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to prepare for emergency situations. To facilitate smooth communication of information about emergency medical institutions such as local clinics, active support will be provided for collaboration through each ministry’s website and government media.

Director Jeong Tongryeong stressed the need for close cooperation among related ministries, stating, "We ask for close cooperation to promptly establish flexible emergency medical response plans tailored to each hospital’s situation, considering smooth patient transfer and referral through inter-agency collaboration, and to ensure that there are no gaps in essential medical services."