Seeking Practical Solutions for Medical School Expansion and Resident Crisis
Medical Community Council 'Oltokwi' Suspends Operations
Doctors, who have been at odds with the government for nearly half a year over the increase in medical school admissions, will take a nationwide day off from medical practice on the 26th to discuss ways to save healthcare in the Republic of Korea.
The "Special Committee for Proper Medical Care (Olteukwi)," a medical council under the Korea Medical Association (KMA), will hold the "1st National Doctors' Grand Debate on the Life-or-Death of Korean Healthcare" at 2 p.m. on the 26th at the KMA building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
About 100 doctors from various medical professions, including professors from medical schools nationwide, are expected to attend the debate. Doctors who cannot attend in person will be able to participate online.
As a result, a significant number of doctors across the country will adjust their medical schedules, effectively resulting in a one-day suspension of medical services. However, the medical community explained that since outpatient clinics are generally not busy on Fridays, patients are not expected to suffer significant inconvenience immediately.
Earlier, at the nationwide doctors' rally on the 18th of last month, KMA President Im Hyun-taek announced an indefinite full suspension of medical services starting from the 27th of the same month. However, after receiving criticism for making the announcement unilaterally without consulting other medical organizations, Olteukwi changed its direction and decided to hold a debate involving doctors on the 26th instead of a collective strike.
At this event, doctors plan to emphasize the reasons why residents and medical students are forced to leave the medical field and brainstorm what is needed to improve the medical reality.
An Olteukwi official said, "We hope to collectively reflect on the healthcare crisis that is heading toward a catastrophe and have an in-depth discussion on the future direction the medical community should take."
However, the operation of Olteukwi will officially be suspended after this debate. Launched on the 20th of last month, Olteukwi was expected to present a unified voice of medical organizations, centered on medical school professors, residents, medical students, and local medical associations, but it was evaluated that discussions did not progress nor concrete outcomes were produced because the key parties, residents and medical students, did not participate.
Accordingly, although Olteukwi intended to continue until the 4th meeting on the 20th, the executive committee decided to suspend activities, ending its operations in about a month.
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