Religious Circles: "Many Citizens Are Suffering... Government Must Listen More and Doctors Should Return"

Each Appeal Statement: "The Lives of the People Are Above All Precious"

As the medical crisis prolongs, voices from the religious community urging dialogue between the government and the medical sector are growing louder.

The Korean Buddhist Council of Orders (hereinafter referred to as the Council), a coalition of 30 Buddhist orders including Jogyejong, issued an "Appeal to the Government and the Medical Community" on the 19th, calling for concessions and dialogue from both sides. Earlier, the Korea Christian Federation (HanGyoChong), a Protestant coalition organization, also released an appeal.

Jinwoo Sunim, the head of Jogye Order and president of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Council.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Council expressed frustration, stating, "As conflicts related to the increase in medical school quotas have prolonged, many citizens are suffering," adding, "The pain of emergency and critically ill patients requiring specialized treatment and their families is deeply felt by the public."

They continued, "Considering the rise in national income and the pace of aging, increasing medical school enrollment is a necessary matter," and noted, "It is a fact that there is an absolute shortage of medical personnel in regional hospitals and essential medical fields, so expanding medical school quotas is recognized as an essential issue."

The Council also made a plea to the government, saying, "A more flexible response is needed to create an atmosphere for returning to the field," and urged, "Please fully listen to doctors' claims and grievances regarding detailed medical reform measures such as avoidance of essential medical departments and medical fees, and develop supplementary policies accordingly."

Furthermore, they appealed to the medical community, stating, "When doctors are in their rightful places, the public will trust medical personnel," and requested, "There must be no more medical gaps, so we hope doctors will return to patients to normalize the medical field."

Jang Jong-hyun (third from the left), the president of the Korea Christian Federation, and other leaders of HanKyoChong urged medical staff to return to the field in unison on the 19th.
[Photo by Korea Christian Federation]

The Korea Christian Federation (HanGyoChong), a Protestant coalition organization, urged on the 18th, "Above all, the most precious thing is the lives of the people," and asked, "Doctors, please return to the field."

In an "Appeal to the Medical Community" released under the names of Representative Pastor Jang Jong-hyun and Co-Representative Pastors Oh Jeong-ho, Kim Ui-sik, Lee Cheol, and Lim Seok-ung, HanGyoChong earnestly requested, "We sincerely ask you to open the path of coexistence through generous concessions and dialogue to save many lives that are collapsing."

HanGyoChong defined the expansion of medical school quotas as "a significant national task that has been discussed by every government and must be realized by the current administration," but evaluated that the level of increase proposed by the medical community "cannot be a fundamental solution to the shortage of doctors considering the rise in national income and the pace of aging."

They suggested to the government, "Please fully listen to doctors' claims and grievances regarding detailed medical reform measures and create supplementary policies."

Meanwhile, the medical gap, which began with the collective resignation of residents in protest against the government's push to increase medical school quotas, marked one month as of March 19. The situation is worsening as full-time doctors and medical school professors, who had been covering for the departing residents, have also joined the resignation wave.