Labor Groups and Civic Organizations Also Criticize... "Medical Sector Collective Action Lacks Legitimacy"

People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and others "Ignoring the reality of doctor shortage"
Kyungsilryeon "Considering legal action if collective medical treatment refusal occurs"

In response to the medical community's announcement of collective action, labor groups and civic organizations have unusually joined the government in strongly criticizing the move.

The “Movement Headquarters for Blocking Medical Privatization and Realizing Universal Healthcare” (hereafter Movement Headquarters), consisting of 35 organizations including the two major labor unions and People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, stated in a commentary on the 19th, “The doctors’ collective action opposing the expansion of medical school quotas has no legitimacy whatsoever,” adding, “If the opposition is aimed at reducing the number of competitors and gaining more profit while ignoring the reality of doctor shortages, it will only harm patients without gaining anyone’s support.”

On the 16th, when student representatives decided that medical students nationwide would submit leave of absence applications together on the 20th in protest against the government's plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000, the traffic light near a medical school in Seoul turned red. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

They continued, “The issue of doctor shortages after the COVID-19 crisis is a topic that most citizens agree on,” emphasizing, “In a Gallup Korea survey conducted from the 13th to the 15th, 76% of respondents answered positively to the expansion of medical school quotas.”

The Movement Headquarters also criticized the Korean Medical Association (KMA), saying, “The KMA keeps repeating that the problem will be solved simply by raising medical fees,” and pointed out, “Considering that the average annual salary of Korean doctors is among the highest in the OECD and more than six times the average wage of workers, they deserve criticism.”

The Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) also announced on the same day that it views the collective suspension of medical services by residents at major hospitals as “collusion” and is reviewing legal measures to report them to the Fair Trade Commission if they actually stop providing medical care.

CCEJ explained, “If licensed professionals with business operator status engage in collective action, it can be punished as collusion,” adding, “If residents suspend work tomorrow and do not comply with the government’s order to return to duty, we will report them to the Fair Trade Commission.” They further noted, “We are also reviewing whether to take legal action against hospitals, not only the striking residents classified as individual business operators.”

On the 14th, CCEJ issued a statement questioning, “Whether those who abuse the exclusive medical practice rights granted by the state on behalf of the people as a means to protect their own interests are qualified to protect the lives of the people,” and urged, “In the event of a residents’ strike, temporarily allow PA nurses to assist in surgeries to prepare for medical gaps for severe and emergency patients at university and general hospitals.”

Criticism was also raised regarding the government’s role. The Movement Headquarters stated, “In the process of negotiating with the medical community, the government should not accept demands from the KMA to raise medical fees and pass the burden onto workers and ordinary citizens,” urging, “Even now, plans to expand public medical personnel must be established to sustain essential and regional healthcare.”

Meanwhile, all 2,700 residents from the so-called “Big 5 hospitals” ? Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center, and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital ? submitted their resignations on the day and decided to suspend work starting at 6 a.m. on the 20th. Residents from other hospitals are also expected to follow suit.

Large hospitals are urgently adjusting surgery schedules or canceling or postponing more than half of the planned surgeries to prepare for the departure of residents.