Health and Medical Workers' Union "More Disruptions in Medical Services Expected"

"Severe Trauma Emergency Patients Suffer the Most Damage"
"Military Doctors and Public Health Doctors Provide No Practical Help"

On the 20th, when the results of the increased medical school admission quota distribution that sparked conflict between the medical community and the government were released, a medical school official was entering the research building at a university hospital in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

As medical school and university hospital professors adjust their working hours and reduce outpatient clinic hours starting from the 1st, Choi Hee-seon, chairperson of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, expressed concerns that "more disruptions in medical services are expected on the ground. Patients will become increasingly anxious."

Chairperson Choi appeared on KBS's "Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeonggyeok Sisa" on the same day and explained, "Currently, the number of surgeries is only about 40% to 50%. Since there are no residents in the emergency room, paramedics are performing those tasks, which constitutes illegal medical practice." She added, "The proportion of hospitalized patients has also dropped below 50%, causing the most harm to severe and trauma emergency patients."

Chairperson Choi said, "As health and medical workers, we feel very ashamed and sorry," and continued, "Patients who need treatment are unable to receive it, leading to situations where they give up on treatment. It is a very regrettable situation." She went on to say, "At first, I was somewhat disappointed and hoped for a quick resolution, but now I am closer to anger."

In response to the prolonged medical service gap, the government announced plans to utilize military doctors and public health doctors to minimize disruptions in medical care. Regarding this, Chairperson Choi said, "Each hospital has a different system, and surgeries are performed through teamwork, so it is actually not easy. I think it is not providing practical help."

She added, "Medical services must be normalized first," and said, "Because the two sides (the government and the Korean Medical Association) are locked in a strong confrontation and cannot open a dialogue, I hope this issue will be resolved quickly through social dialogue."