Doctors' Statement on University Hospital Professor's Death: "He Should Be Treated as a National Merit Recipient"

"Death Due to High-Intensity Work... Should Be Treated as a National Merit Recipient"

Amid news of the sudden death of a professor affiliated with a university hospital in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province, the Gyeonggi Medical Association raised its voice, stating that "doctors are being forced to perform high-intensity work by the state."

On the 22nd, the Gyeonggi Medical Association issued a statement titled "The government, which caused the successive deaths of medical school professors, must wake up and recognize these victims as industrial accident cases and provide them with honors equivalent to national merit."

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Earlier, on the 19th, Professor A, a respiratory allergy specialist in his 50s at a university hospital in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, showed symptoms of intestinal obstruction while on duty and underwent emergency surgery at the same hospital. Afterwards, Professor A was transferred to Seoul Asan Medical Center for treatment but passed away in the intensive care unit on the morning of the 20th.

The exact cause of Professor A's death has not been revealed, but since this is the second death of an active medical school professor following an ophthalmology professor at Busan National University Hospital last month, doctors have condemned the government. This is due to professors suffering from heavy workloads caused by the collective resignation of residents.

The Gyeonggi Medical Association stated, "Since February, medical school professors have been forced by state orders to perform high-intensity duties such as outpatient and on-call work," and claimed, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration is issuing unjust forced administrative orders to medical students and doctors, restricting their constitutional fundamental rights as citizens."

Furthermore, they urged, "The government must punish Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who are responsible for this forced labor, and reexamine all policies from the ground up," and called for "honors equivalent to national merit for the two medical school professors who lost their lives after being forced to work over 52 hours per week."