Government "Regret over Medical School Professors' Reduced Work Hours... Strengthening Emergency Medical Measures"

The government expressed regret on the 31st over medical school professors reducing clinical services starting in April and announced plans to strengthen emergency medical response measures.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is announcing the four major tasks of medical reform at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 20th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held the 25th Central Accident Response Headquarters meeting for doctors' collective action in the afternoon, chaired by Minister Cho Kyu-hong, to review the status of emergency medical system operations and the ongoing doctors' collective action.

At the meeting, Minister Cho instructed a more thorough inspection of emergency room and intensive care unit operations and directed the preparation of a strengthened third emergency medical response plan following the second plan announced last month.

He said, "Although the government proposed 'Five Core Tasks for Implementing the Four Major Medical Reform Agendas' as the key investment direction in next year's budget and invited the medical community to participate in dialogue, it is regrettable that they have not responded. We urge the medical community to actively engage in dialogue."

Earlier, the National Emergency Response Committee of Medical School Professors, composed of emergency response committees from 20 universities including Seoul National University College of Medicine, announced after a meeting the previous day that "we agreed in principle to a 24-hour continuous work shift followed by a day off during the next daytime shift starting April 1, and resolved to adjust outpatient and surgical schedules at each training hospital to maintain care for severe and emergency patients under these working conditions."

The National Medical School Professors' Council also announced that since the 25th, they have reduced outpatient care, surgery, and inpatient care working hours to the legal limit of 52 hours per week, and starting April 1, they will minimize outpatient care to focus on treating severe and emergency patients.