Han Deok-su: "Medical Community, Join the Consultative Body... Punish Blacklist Distribution"

Prime Minister's Briefing on 'Chuseok Emergency Medical Comprehensive Situation'
"Hope the Ruling and Opposition Parties and Government-Assembly Consultative Body Reflect Reality"
Increased Fees During Holidays... Maximum Deployment of Substitute Personnel

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged the medical community to participate in the ruling and opposition parties, medical professionals, and government consultative body, while warning that the government will relentlessly track down and punish those involved in creating and distributing 'blacklists.' During the Chuseok holiday period, alternative personnel such as military doctors will be deployed, and local governments will operate 'Emergency Medical Management Situation Teams.'

Han Deok-su: "Medical Community, Join the Consultative Body... Punish Blacklist Distribution"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo is attending and speaking at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on the medical professionals' collective action held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno, Seoul on the 12th. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

On the morning of the 12th, Prime Minister Han, during the 'Comprehensive Emergency Medical Situation Briefing' at the Government Seoul Office, stated, "We are waiting for the medical community to clear up misunderstandings and become partners in medical reform," and added, "I once again request that you participate in the ruling and opposition parties, medical professionals, and government consultative body so that the realities of medical reform can be vividly reflected."

He acknowledged, "All reforms are difficult, but medical reform is especially painful," and continued, "The public is well aware of what has happened as a result of delaying or giving up due to fear of the pain that accompanies reform." He emphasized, "A nurse at one of the so-called 'Big 5' hospitals collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage while on duty but passed away because there was no surgeon available, and a five-year-old child with laryngitis in the heart of Seoul could not be admitted and died."

He specifically mentioned the recent 'blacklist' that discloses the personal information of emergency room medical staff who did not participate in collective resignations, warning, "The government will relentlessly track down and punish those who create and distribute blacklists."

He also announced the government's policy to maintain the emergency medical system during the Chuseok holiday period. Prime Minister Han explained, "The government will operate a 'Chuseok Holiday Emergency Response Week' for two weeks from the 11th to the 25th and will do its utmost to ensure that there is no negligence in maintaining the emergency medical system by mobilizing all available resources."

The government will first raise health insurance fees around the Chuseok holiday, especially increasing the consultation fees for specialists at regional emergency medical centers responsible for severe emergency patients up to 3.5 times the usual rate. Fees for procedures such as surgery, treatment, and anesthesia to facilitate rapid hospitalization and transfer will also be increased.

Prime Minister Han stated, "Alternative personnel such as military doctors, physicians, and nursing assistants will also be deployed to the maximum extent possible," and explained, "Local governments will also establish and operate 'Emergency Medical Management Situation Teams' under the responsibility of local heads, and immediate action will be taken if problems are found on site." He added, "For surgeries or procedures that are infrequent but highly complex among severe emergency diseases, a rotating on-call system will be implemented for joint response," and further explained, "A dedicated one-on-one responsible officer will be assigned to each of the 409 emergency rooms nationwide to monitor the situation on site daily."