Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is delivering a greeting at a meeting with the directors of five major hospitals in Seoul at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 29th. The hospitals are experiencing difficulties in medical treatment due to the collective action of resident doctors. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo met with the so-called 'Big 5' hospital directors on the 29th and said, "Despite the government's continuous efforts, a dialogue channel between the medical community and the government has not been established," urging, "I ask the hospital directors who are working alongside residents and professors on the front lines to play their roles."
On the afternoon of the same day, Prime Minister Han held a meeting with the directors of the five major hospitals at the Government Seoul Office to listen to the difficulties faced in the medical field. The meeting was attended by Park Seung-woo, director of Samsung Seoul Hospital; Kim Young-tae, director of Seoul National University Hospital; Yoon Seung-gyu, director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital; Park Seung-il, director of Asan Medical Center; and Ha Jong-won, director of Severance Hospital.
Prime Minister Han stated, "If the medical service gaps in the five major hospitals widen further, the public may experience not only inconvenience in receiving treatment but also significant psychological anxiety," and urged, "Please do your best to maintain an emergency medical system focused on severe and emergency patients."
He also conveyed that patients from the Rare and Intractable Disease Association, whom he met the day before, are deeply concerned about the absence of medical school professors, and requested, "Please persuade the medical school professors to stay by the patients' side."
Prime Minister Han emphasized, "Consultation with the residents, who are key policy stakeholders, is essential," adding, "I hope the residents return as soon as possible so that we can work together with the government to develop concrete plans for financial investment."
The directors of the five major hospitals attending the meeting requested government support, stating that the hospitals' financial situations are rapidly deteriorating due to the absence of residents.
They pledged to do their utmost to maintain the emergency medical system and especially emphasized their commitment as hospital directors to ensure that trust between doctors and patients is not broken and that the situation is normalized as soon as possible.
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