Medical Sector's '18-Day Collective Strike'... Government Takes Hardline on Clinics, Waits on Medical School Professors

Government Issues Suspension Order to All Clinics Nationwide
Expecting Low Participation Rate Among Medical School Professors

With the collective strike of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and medical school professors scheduled for the 18th, the government has announced a tough response policy. It stated that unilateral cancellation of medical appointments without patient consent will be considered a 'refusal of treatment' and will be dealt with strictly. However, it is expected that immediate administrative orders will not be issued against the medical school professors.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the government and the medical community on the 14th, the KMA has announced a collective strike and a general rally on the 18th, and the National Council of Medical School Professors, which includes 40 medical schools, will also participate.

The government, in cooperation with local governments, has issued medical orders and strike reporting orders targeting about 36,000 primary medical institutions nationwide. Medical institutions planning to strike on the 18th must report to the government by the previous day (the 13th), and the scope of the Damage Report Support Center, which receives reports of damages caused by the collective strike, will be expanded to include clinics. On the day of the strike, the government plans to check the medical status of all clinic-level medical institutions both in the morning and afternoon to prevent avoidance of work commencement orders through the use of half-day leave.

Furthermore, the government views the unilateral cancellation of patients' medical appointments as 'refusal of treatment' and indicated that it can take action under the Medical Service Act. According to Article 15 of the Medical Service Act, medical personnel or medical institution operators are prohibited from refusing treatment requests without justifiable reasons. Jeon Byeong-wang, Director of the Health and Medical Policy Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated at a briefing the previous day, "We will respond strictly to illegal acts."

While detailed measures have been prepared for private practitioners, the government appears to be taking a more measured approach toward medical school professors who have consecutively declared indefinite strikes. The government announced that it will not issue immediate work commencement or treatment maintenance orders regarding the collective strike by medical school professors.

Director Jeon interpreted the situation by saying, "It is not the hospital itself that is striking. Only some of the obstinate professors are participating in the strike." The Emergency Response Committee of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital decided on an indefinite collective strike starting from the 17th, and Yonsei University College of Medicine and Hospital from the 27th, but the government explained that these decisions were made at the 'Emergency Response Committee' level.

Director Jeon added, "It is not a decision at the entire hospital level but a decision by some emergency response committees, and I think the participation rate will not be that high," and "Therefore, we are not currently considering various measures."

The reason the government is postponing administrative actions against medical school professors is based on the judgment that the participation rate in collective actions among professors will not be high. When medical school professors submitted their resignations in March, the actual proportion who left the field was analyzed to be small. The government believes that if the participation rate of the professor group is not high this time as well, there will be no significant disruption to medical services. Here, 'disruption to medical services' refers to intensive care units and emergency rooms. Medical school professors who have decided on an indefinite collective strike, such as the Emergency Response Committee of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, have agreed to maintain treatment in essential departments such as intensive care units and emergency rooms even during the strike.

Meanwhile, the total number of inpatients at tertiary general hospitals and general hospitals is gradually recovering. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of inpatients at tertiary general hospitals increased by 10.2% from the previous week to 26,172, which is 79% of the normal level, and the total number of inpatients at all general hospitals including tertiary general hospitals increased by 6.0% from the previous week to 95,579, which is 99% of the normal level (as of the 12th). Additionally, the number of intensive care unit inpatients at tertiary general hospitals is at 87% of the normal level, and for all general hospitals including tertiary general hospitals, it is at 96% of the normal level (as of the 12th). Emergency rooms, which are operating without bed reductions, number 389 out of a total of 408 locations, accounting for 95%, and the number of emergency room visitors is 16,629, which is 93% of the normal level (as of the 11th).