Ministry of Health and Welfare Operates Medical Damage Reporting Center Amid Doctors' Strike Movement

As medical associations show signs of collective action in opposition to the expansion of medical school admission quotas, the government has decided to operate a 'Damage Report Center' to respond to any harm caused to patients.

On the 12th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 5th meeting of the 'Central Accident Response Headquarters for Doctors' Collective Action,' chaired by Minister Cho Kyu-hong, and decided to establish the center to address potential cases of public harm.

Any patient who has experienced harm related to medical treatment can receive services such as medical use inconvenience counseling and legal consultation through the Damage Report Center. Specific operational details of the Damage Report Center will be announced separately.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is announcing the plan to expand medical school admission quotas on the 6th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

In addition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that after inspecting the emergency medical services and emergency medical system operations during the Lunar New Year holiday, no unusual issues were found.

Minister Cho expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank the medical staff and related personnel who protected emergency treatment sites during the Lunar New Year holiday," and added, "We will continue to support so that the public does not face difficulties in accessing essential medical services such as emergency care."

Earlier, when the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 6th that it would increase medical school quotas by 2,000, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) opposed the move, threatening collective action.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare declared a strict response policy and ordered the KMA executive board to 'prohibit collective action and incitement of collective action,' and training hospitals educating residents to 'prohibit acceptance of collective resignation letters.' The medical community plans to begin full-scale collective action after the Lunar New Year holiday.