Includes Discussions on Medical School Expansion, Nursing Act, and Medical Reform Special Committee
Im Hyun-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), has begun an indefinite hunger strike, urging the government and the National Assembly to change their stance.
Im Hyun-taek, President of the Korean Medical Association, began a hunger strike on the afternoon of the 26th at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 26th, President Im held a press conference in front of the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, stating, "It has already been over six months since residents and medical students left clinical and educational sites due to the demonization of doctors and false agitation targeting the entire nation by some public officials and 'poliprofessors' who deceived the public."
He continued, "In medical settings, professors have endured for over six months but are now burning out, leading to quiet resignations. In rural areas, emergency pregnant women have no place to go and have given birth inside 119 ambulances, and even in Seoul, there are no hospitals to accept patients who have lost limbs in accidents or those coughing up blood from the stomach and bronchus, resulting in deaths," he added.
He further stated, "Korean healthcare is on the brink of collapse, and the lives of the people are helplessly threatened. As the president of the KMA, I want to convey my sincerity through this hunger strike."
President Im emphasized, "Among the reasons for a nation's existence, nothing is more important than saving the lives of its people. Now, the only way to resolve this national medical crisis, which seriously threatens the lives of the people, is for the president and the National Assembly to step forward and make a decisive decision." He also appealed, "I make a final plea to the president and the National Assembly. Please stop standing by and make a decision to end this medical disaster."
The hunger strike is expected to continue until there is a change in the government's position. Anna Choi, spokesperson for the KMA, said, "(The hunger strike) is a desperate appeal because this situation is very serious, urging the government and the National Assembly to promptly come up with countermeasures," adding, "We will continue (the hunger strike) until there is a change in the government's stance."
She added, "Although the Nursing Act was postponed at the National Assembly's bill review subcommittee on the 22nd, the government still shows a strong will to push it through," and "Without changing its position, the government continues to ignore the demands of residents and students and is determined to enforce a flawed policy that allows nurses, who do not want to perform doctors' roles, to carry out (medical) tasks. This is why the president has resorted to this (protest) method."
Regarding the government's change in stance that the KMA seeks, she explained, "It includes all discussions on increasing medical school admissions, the Nursing Act, and the Special Committee on Medical Reform (Uigae Teukwi)," and "We are urging the government to change its position to engage in meaningful and effective discussions with the medical community."
She also said, "The media has been reporting daily on how dangerous the emergency room situation is," adding, "It is truly hot and very dangerous to fast, but the situation faced by the people is more urgent, and the government's decisive action is urgently required."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
