Healthcare Workers' Union: "Medical Reform Special Committee, Merely a Facade of Dialogue"

"Uihyeop and Daejeonhyeop Must Also Engage in Dialogue"

The Korea Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) criticized the Medical Reform Special Committee (Medical Reform Special Committee), launched on the 25th, as not being a genuine social dialogue body to derive proper medical reform measures.

Noh Yeon-hong, Chairman of the Special Committee on Medical Reform, is announcing the main contents of the 1st meeting of the Special Committee on Medical Reform on the 25th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

In a statement released that day, KHMU expressed hope that the committee would serve as a starting point for full-fledged discussions on medical reform to revive essential medical care, regional medical services, and public healthcare. However, it also expressed regret over the absence of the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Intern Resident Association from the Medical Reform Special Committee.

The union criticized the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Intern Resident Association's refusal to participate in dialogue as "an act that pours cold water on the expectations of patients and the public who hope for the prompt normalization of medical services," and insisted that "they must return unconditionally to essential severe and emergency medical sites to save patients' lives first, and unconditionally engage in dialogue."

Furthermore, the union pointed out that "political parties representing the public and medical institution labor unions, which have consistently raised medical reform issues, were all excluded from the Medical Reform Special Committee," and evaluated that "it only has the appearance of a social dialogue body but is not composed as a genuine social dialogue body to derive proper medical reform measures."

Finally, the union announced that "it will carry out struggles urging the formation of a genuine social dialogue body to derive proper medical reform measures to revive essential medical care, regional medical services, and public healthcare."