"Closed Hospital for Air Conditioner Cleaning... Mom Cafe Outraged Over Life Held Hostage in Negotiations"

"Won't Visit Hospitals That Closed Again" Mom Cafe Anger Grows
Pre-Notification Rate Was 4.3%, but Actual Closures 15%
Criticism Intensifies Over Taking Citizens and Patients Hostage

On the 18th, some local clinics and hospitals joined the collective strike led by the Korea Medical Association (KMA), causing inconvenience to those who visited the hospitals. The clinics and hospitals cited reasons such as air conditioner cleaning, water outage construction, and major cleaning for their closures, and photos of hospitals announcing closures due to various reasons like overseas invitation schedules, academic conference schedules, and orthopedic consultations were continuously posted on online communities.

Clinics and hospitals cited reasons such as air conditioner cleaning, water outage work, and major cleaning for their closures, and photos of hospitals announcing closures for various reasons including overseas invitation schedules, conference schedules, and orthopedic consultations were continuously posted on online communities.
[Photo by Online Community]

This appears to be because while local clinics participated in the strike led by the KMA, they feared public criticism or government penalties if they disclosed the true reasons. Netizens commented on the notices, saying things like "They wrote air conditioner cleaning, but it's probably a strike," "How can they close their doors when patients are sick?" and "Those hospitals should be shut down forever."

Boycott Movement Spreads Like Wildfire Centered on Mom Cafes

As clinics and hospitals joined the strike and closed, online communities, especially mom cafes, hinted at a boycott movement, saying, "We should never go to hospitals that close from now on." According to online communities centered on mom cafes on the 19th, there have been numerous reports of people visiting hospitals with sick children only to find closure notices and wasted trips. A mom cafe member A from the Songdo area, who did not expect local clinics to join the strike, said, "I am angry at this selfish behavior. What group in the world holds human lives hostage for negotiations just because they face disadvantages?"

On the 18th, when clinics led by the Korean Medical Association began a collective strike, the front door of a pediatric clinic in Seoul was firmly closed.
Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

A mom cafe member B from the Gangwon region emphasized, "When family members are sick, the most reliable source is the local mom cafe. Let's create and share a list of hospitals that are striking or closed." The reasons for closure at the hospitals B visited were vacations. However, another nearby hospital coincidentally was also on vacation the same day. A mom cafe member C from the Deokso area raised her voice, saying, "If doctors prioritize protecting their own interests over sick patients, they are not doctors. We should not go to hospitals that are closed."

Another member D of the same cafe also expressed frustration, saying, "I get angry after taking my sick child from one hospital to another. It would be good to gather and show a list of hospitals that are closed or striking." Following Seoul National University Hospital, which began an indefinite strike the previous day, clinics and hospitals nationwide closed their doors under the KMA's leadership.

Although only 4% of clinics and hospitals announced their closures in advance, concerns that many would use loopholes such as minimal consultations to effectively close were realized. In particular, Daejeon, where the prior notification rate was 4.3%, recorded an actual closure rate five times higher at 22.9%. Sejong and Chungnam also showed more closures than expected, with 19% and 11.7% respectively, as many clinics finished morning consultations and then joined the strike from the afternoon. As the medical community continues a strong confrontation with the government and the strike situation repeats, criticism is mounting that they are holding the public and patients hostage.