Jo Gyu-hong: "Leniency if Departed Residents Return... Considering Additional Deployment of Military and Public Health Doctors"

"All Available Means Will Be Mobilized for the People's Lives"
"We Urge Residents to Return to the Field Quickly"

"All available means will be mobilized to protect the lives and health of the people during emergency medical treatment"

On the 11th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, hinted at the possibility of additional deployment of military doctors and public health doctors, stating, "All available means will be mobilized to protect the lives and health of the people during emergency medical treatment." He also expressed his intention to be lenient toward residents returning before the completion of administrative disciplinary procedures.

On the first day of implementing the "Supplementary Guidelines for the Nurse Task Pilot Project," which allows nurses to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation and administer emergency drugs to emergency patients, medical staff were busy working at a university hospital in Seoul on the 8th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the same day, Minister Cho explained on KBS Radio's 'Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeonggyeok Sisa' that regarding the deployment of about 150 military doctors and public health doctors to large hospitals for one month, "If necessary, we are also considering additional deployment of (military doctors and public health doctors)."

To fill the gap left by residents, nurses have been instructed to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on emergency patients and administer emergency drugs. The Medical Association raised their voices, claiming it encourages illegal medical practices, and the health care labor union expressed concerns about the legal protection of nurses. Minister Cho said, "This is a lawful project based on the Framework Act on Health and Medical Services and the Medical Service Act," adding, "Since it was prepared through discussions with the Korean Nurses Association and the Korean Hospital Association from February 29 to March 6, nurses can also receive legal protection."

How many residents have left the medical field?

How many residents have currently left the medical field according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare? According to Minister Cho, after inspecting 100 hospitals, the number is 11,994. This accounts for about 92.9% of the targeted residents. Procedures to suspend the licenses of the residents who have left are also underway. Minister Cho explained, "Through on-site inspections, for residents confirmed not to have returned, we are sequentially carrying out the prior notification procedures as stipulated by law," adding, "Once the residents receive the prior notification, they are given a period to submit their opinions, and if no explanation is provided within that period, the scheduled disciplinary actions will proceed according to the procedures."

He said, "If residents return before the completion of the administrative disciplinary procedures, we plan to be as lenient as possible toward them," and earnestly requested, "I sincerely ask the residents to return to the field quickly."

However, following the residents, medical school professors are also showing signs of collective action, so a 'strong versus strong' confrontation between the government and medical personnel is expected to continue. Minister Cho stated, "I believe the professors themselves know better what would happen if even they leave the medical field under the current circumstances," and earnestly asked, "For the safety of patients, I sincerely ask for wise judgment." He added, "The government also plans to actively engage in dialogue and persuasion to ensure residents return quickly and to prevent the spread of collective action."