Resident Representative to Medical Association President: "Why do you keep acting like you're the center... We haven't agreed on a single communication channel"

"The 7 Major Demands of Daejeon Association Remain Unchanged"

The representative of residents publicly criticized Im Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA).

Park Dan, emergency committee chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), criticized President Im on the afternoon of the 13th through his social media (SNS), saying, "What exactly is President Im doing?" He posted an article reporting that the KMA held a joint meeting with a group of medical school professors and announced that all medical professions would create a single communication channel centered on the KMA.

Chairman Park said, "Center? What does he keep insisting that he is the center?" and added, "It is already mid-June. Shouldn't President Im now focus on actions rather than words?"

Park Dan, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), is greeting a delegate at the 76th Regular General Assembly of the Korean Medical Association held on the morning of April 28 at The-K Hotel in Seocho-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

He continued, "Isn't he still only putting residents and students at the forefront?" and emphasized, "A single communication channel? Unified demands? I have never agreed with President Im. A pan-medical community countermeasure committee? I will not participate." He also added that KIRA's demands remain unchanged.

Before the collective resignation of residents, KIRA presented seven demands to the government: ▲ complete withdrawal of the plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 and the essential medical package ▲ establishment of a medical workforce forecasting organization ▲ expansion of specialist recruitment at training hospitals ▲ legal burden relief for unavoidable medical accidents ▲ improvement of resident training environments ▲ withdrawal and apology for unfair orders ▲ complete abolition of work commencement orders.