Minister of Health and Welfare: "Mass Resignation of Medical School Professors Threatens Patient Lives"

"Thanks to the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Others for Committing to Stay by Patients' Side"

The Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed serious concerns that the collective resignation movement of medical school professors could threaten patients' lives.

On the 17th, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong chaired the 'Central Accident Response Headquarters for Doctors' Collective Action' meeting and stated, "We express serious concerns that the decision by the Emergency Committee of the National Medical School Professors Association (National Medical School Professors Emergency Committee) for medical school professors to submit their resignations starting from the 25th could threaten patients' lives and health."

He urged the medical school professors, saying, "I hope you will join the government in pooling wisdom so that residents can return to the medical field." He added, "We will continue to do our best to maintain the emergency medical system and to engage in dialogue and persuasion efforts to resolve the situation, and we will actively listen to the opinions of medical school professors."

Minister Cho also said, "I hope medical school professors will stay by patients' sides so that public concern does not increase," and added, "While doing our best to complete medical reform, we will thoroughly implement the emergency medical system to minimize medical gaps and continue efforts for dialogue and persuasion."

A patient waiting for medical treatment at a secondary general hospital in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The National Medical School Professors Emergency Committee held a meeting on the 15th with participation from 20 medical schools and announced that professors from 16 medical schools will submit their resignations on the 25th. Committee Chairman Bang Jae-seung said at a press conference the day before, "We believe that the government must first lift the '2,000 additional personnel' issue for an agreement to be reached, and we are submitting resignations to prevent a medical catastrophe."

At the meeting, Minister Cho expressed deep gratitude to the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgery and the Korean Society of Neurointervention, which declared they would stay by patients' sides to protect the right to life of the people; to Konkuk Chungju Hospital, which pledged to take the lead in normalizing medical care; and to the National Medical Center, which committed to playing the role of a medical safety net on the front lines of public healthcare.