Medical Community: "Even Emergency Rooms in Major Cities Face Treatment Disruptions... Urgent Need for Healthcare Normalization"

"Government Only Pours Out Empty Measures"

The medical community has urged the prompt normalization of healthcare, stating that even regional emergency medical centers in major cities have recently experienced disruptions in medical services.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) held a 'Daily Briefing on Medical Issues' at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, announcing this situation. Anna Choi, spokesperson for the KMA, shared the current status of emergency rooms at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital in Nowon-gu, Seoul, and Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital in Gyeongnam, stating, "Even regional emergency medical centers in major cities are unable to provide medical services, yet the government continues to deceive the public by claiming that the (emergency room service disruptions) are problems limited to a few hospitals."

According to the emergency room status she disclosed, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital's pediatric emergency room is available for treatment from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays but is unavailable on weekends. For surgical patients, it is noted that "capacity must be confirmed during nighttime hours (5 p.m. to 8 a.m. the next day)." As of 11:21 a.m. that day, the orthopedic department at Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital's regional emergency medical center announced that "all treatments and surgeries, including pediatric care, are unavailable."

Spokesperson Choi emphasized, "With the Chuseok holiday approaching soon, the concerns of doctors on the front lines are beyond words," adding, "The most urgent issue in our society is to restore the collapsed healthcare system."

She continued, "Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, whom the medical community has demanded to be dismissed as the main cause of the destruction of medical practice and education, delivered a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) today without any reflection or apology for the emergency medical collapse he caused, offering only verbal measures," she added.

Choi Anna, spokesperson for the Korea Medical Association (KMA), is speaking at the 'Daily Briefing on Medical Issues' held at the KMA Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 22nd.
Photo by Choi Taewon peaceful1@

Earlier that day, Vice Minister Park appeared as a spokesperson for the CDSCH during the doctors' collective action and announced measures to strengthen support for emergency medical staff and to alleviate emergency room service gaps by diverting mild patients to local clinics and hospitals.

Spokesperson Choi stated, "Those responsible must not scatter the focus of the current medical manipulation crisis without reflection or further mislead the public," and demanded again, "The half-hearted Medical Reform Special Committee, which recklessly pushes policies, must be immediately disbanded, and effective dialogue between the government and medical representatives should begin based on the September 4 medical agreement to open a path toward resolving this crisis."

She also expressed regret over the police summoning Park Dan, chairman of the Korean Intern and Resident Association (KIRA) Emergency Response Committee, as a witness the previous day. She said, "The association deeply sympathizes with Chairman Park's expression that 'only dictatorship and oppression remain' regarding the police investigation at this point, six months after the interns and residents left the hospitals."

Spokesperson Choi strongly opposed the government's continued investigations into medical personnel opposing government policies. She said, "We will actively support Chairman Park, the representative of the interns and residents, against the comprehensive police investigation, and will continue to protect the rights and interests of our members to the fullest by providing legal representation and covering related costs against the government's coercive investigations and lawsuits targeting those involved in the medical manipulation crisis."