Jo Gyu-hong "Big 5 Hospital Directors Meeting Today... Serious Concerns Over Medical School Professors' Resignations"

"Please Do Not Betray the People's Trust" Request

Amid opposition to the increase in medical school admissions, with medical residents followed by medical school professors also announcing collective resignations, the government will hold a meeting with the heads of the five major tertiary hospitals on the 18th. On the 19th, it plans to meet with the heads of national university hospitals to exchange opinions.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the morning of the same day, Minister Cho stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office to respond to the doctors' collective action, "Under no circumstances should negotiations be conducted at the expense of the lives of the people," adding, "Today, we will hold a meeting with the heads of the five major large hospitals in Seoul, and tomorrow, we will hold a meeting with the heads of national university hospitals."

Minister Cho said, "Through the meetings, we plan to thoroughly understand the overall status of the emergency medical system operation and carefully listen to any difficulties," and added, "We will prepare measures as quickly as possible for any issues requiring government action."

Regarding the announcement by medical school professors nationwide that they will submit their resignation letters starting from the 25th, he expressed "serious concern over this declaration despite the public's worries and the government's repeated requests," and urged, "Our people believe that the professors who treat critically ill patients will not actually leave their patients' side. We ask that you do not betray the trust of the people."

He emphasized that the government will do its utmost to ensure that critically ill and emergency patients receive timely treatment. Currently, the government is monitoring the operation status of intensive care units and emergency rooms daily to check for any abnormalities. It was explained that the intensive care units and emergency rooms are being maintained at levels similar to normal times.

Minister Cho stated, "We must not repeat the history where every time the government tried to expand the number of doctors, the policy was thwarted by illegal collective actions," and added, "The increase of 2,000 medical school admissions is an urgent task that can no longer be delayed to protect the lives of the people and to revive essential and regional medical care." He continued, "While responding to illegal collective actions according to law and principles, we will also do our best to engage in dialogue and persuasion with the medical community and ensure a thorough emergency medical system for the treatment of critically ill and emergency patients."

Meanwhile, since the establishment of the Damage Report Support Center on the 19th of last month, a total of 1,414 consultations have been recorded at the Doctors' Collective Action Damage Report Support Center as of the 15th. Among these, 509 were damage reports, and 905 were related to medical use and legal consultations. Among the 509 damage reports, delayed surgery reports were the most frequent, totaling 350 cases.