Former KMA Executive Joo Suho Criticized by Citizens
"Is Doctor Shortage to Blame for Waiting to See Children?"
"Collapse of Essential Medical Care Is a Natural Phenomenon," Claims
Joo Suho, former Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee for Public Relations of the Korean Medical Association. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@
Joo Su-ho, former chairman of the Emergency Response Committee's Public Relations Committee of the Korean Medical Association, voiced criticism toward citizens by mentioning the waiting times at the Daejeon Bread Festival.
On the 1st, Joo posted on his social media (SNS), "Last weekend, a large crowd gathered at the bread festival held in Daejeon, and it took several hours just to enter the venue. There was talk of 'waiting 3 hours just to buy bread,'" adding, "They say the market is the best side dish; bread tastes great even after waiting three hours." He continued, "Waiting 3 hours to buy bread is a heartwarming story, but waiting for your child's medical treatment is due to a shortage of doctors. In a society like this, the collapse of essential medical care is an 'automatic bread'."
Joo’s remarks are presumed to criticize that while people endure long lines to purchase bread, they are reluctant to wait for hospital treatment. According to the Daejeon Tourism Organization, the '2024 Daejeon Bread Festival' held on the 28th and 29th of last month attracted a total of 140,000 visitors, creating a sea of people. Some citizens even stated, "We waited three hours to enter the festival." Furthermore, Joo claimed that citizens attribute the long waiting times for hospital treatment to a shortage of doctors, leading to the collapse of essential medical services.
Recently, he also referred to a request from the Korean Oriental Medicine Association to "convert licenses to medical doctors after two additional years of education and mandate their deployment to public medical institutions in areas lacking doctors." Joo stated, "Medical schools in South Korea are open to anyone who graduates from high school," and expressed anger, saying, "If you want to become a doctor, stop talking nonsense and enter medical school. You have to be a worthy opponent to be treated as one. Quacks should go play somewhere else."
Meanwhile, Joo has been under police investigation since February on charges of inciting collective resignation among residents. Before appearing, he denied the charges, saying, "Junior doctors who judged that becoming specialists would be meaningless if the distorted system was not improved and medical school quotas were increased, awakened and voluntarily gave up their residency." He also expressed his opinion, "Hold the Minister of Health and Welfare accountable for the baseless decision to increase medical school quotas, dismiss them, and cancel the increase."
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