Yongsan "Lee, curious about the basis of his statement"
"Focusing on the people's voice without wavering in approval ratings"
Jeong Hye-jeon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, is holding a briefing on current issues at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 2nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The Presidential Office criticized Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, for saying that "the number of deaths caused by emergency room shuttling, which could have been prevented, has already exceeded the total number of such incidents in the past year," calling it an "unverified fact" and stating that it "could unnecessarily increase public anxiety."
A Presidential Office official told reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the afternoon of the 2nd, "Lee Jae-myung's claim has not been confirmed by government statistics at all," adding, "There are various variables involved in the deaths of emergency patients, making it difficult to verify whether the deaths were caused by so-called emergency room shuttling, so the government does not compile statistics on this."
He continued, "Claims that deaths due to emergency room shuttling have increased without clear evidence could lower the morale of medical staff who are protecting emergency medical sites even in these difficult times and could also unnecessarily increase public anxiety," and asked again, "I am curious about the basis for your statement."
The official also addressed the government's policy to increase medical school quotas, saying, "As the President mentioned in the national briefing, the government is open to it as long as the medical community presents a unified plan," and explained, "Even if there is no unified plan at last week's Medical Reform Special Committee, the government expressed the position that if discussions take place within the committee, adjustments to the number of admissions for 2026 are possible."
He added, "I want to reiterate that the government is not simply insisting on the figure of 2,000."
Regarding criticism that President Yoon's approval ratings have dropped since the medical reform push, the Presidential Office official said, "The difficult task of medical reform was started at the lowest approval rating level in the 20% range," emphasizing, "Regardless of political gains or losses, the President chose a difficult path despite expected resistance."
He added, "We will not be swayed by approval ratings but will continue to listen carefully to the voices of the people."
Democratic Party of Korea leader Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the Seoul, Incheon, Gangwon Budget Policy Council held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 2nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to the Presidential Office, President Yoon Suk-yeol urged during the senior secretaries' meeting on the morning of the same day, "The central and local governments should make every effort to implement special medical measures for the Chuseok holiday."
He also expressed gratitude to medical staff, saying, "I would like to extend my thanks and encouragement to the medical personnel who are steadfastly protecting the medical frontlines."
The government is establishing an emergency medical response system across ministries, and from this day, related ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the National Fire Agency are conducting daily briefings on emergency room status.
Jung Hye-jeon, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said at a briefing that day, "We will provide briefings based on clear evidence regarding emergency room staffing, patient status, and emergency medical response plans, and also provide information on emergency room usage to help alleviate public anxiety."
She explained, "In addition, the government has requested cooperation from local governments nationwide and decided to establish and operate an emergency medical management situation team, led by local government heads, to manage emergency medical situations and report any unusual occurrences during the emergency response week for the Chuseok holiday from September 11 to 25."
In particular, the government is also preparing a plan to operate a one-on-one intensive management system for all 408 emergency medical institutions nationwide in cooperation with local governments.
Spokesperson Jung referred to the late Yoon Han-duk, former head of the Emergency Medical Center at the National Medical Center, who passed away after working 129 hours per week in 2019, calling it "a tragic death caused by chronic shortages of emergency medical personnel," and pointed out, "the emergency medical gap is a problem accumulated over years due to a shortage of doctors and other factors."
She added, "The Yoon Suk-yeol administration is pushing forward medical reform, which has been neglected for years due to political calculations, solely to protect the people's right to life and health," and said, "Despite political disadvantages, the government prioritizes the lives of the people above all else and is promoting medical reform to ensure that no one is deprived of medical benefits."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
