[Reporter’s Notebook] KMA Emergency Committee Chairman Must Convey the Public’s Perspective to the Medical Community

"If the government had honestly told the medical community, 'You need to increase the number of personnel by this amount. Here is the basis,' the medical community would have responded, 'We don't need to increase the number. Here is the basis.'

On the 18th at 10 a.m., Park Hyung-wook, the emergency committee chairman of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), held an interview titled 'KMA Emergency Committee Chairman Interview for Preventing Government Medical Manipulation and Normalizing Medical Care' at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and spoke politely in easy-to-understand terms. Compared to the harsh language of previous KMA leadership, this seemed like a reasonable start.

On that day, Chairman Park finalized the composition of the KMA emergency committee, allocating 6 out of 15 members, or 40%, to resigned residents and medical students. As a result, the medical community can now present a 'unified voice' demanded by the government, nine months after the medical crisis began.

However, concerns remain. The resigned residents and medical students continue to hold firm positions such as opposing the increase in medical school admissions and the cancellation of the essential medical package. To dispel these concerns and turn the participation of residents in the emergency committee into an opportunity to resolve the medical crisis, Chairman Park's role is crucial. He must persuade both the government and the medical community. He ran for the emergency committee chairman position, stating, "It is important to listen to and respect the voices of young doctors, including resigned residents, who will be responsible for the future of Korean medicine." While this is a valid point, it is hoped that he will not lose the experience and insight he holds as a senior figure in the medical community and society.

He is a specialist in preventive medicine, a lawyer, and has directly handled health and welfare affairs as an administrative officer at the Blue House. As a doctor and an expert in law and administration, he is a rare figure who can bring together the positions of both the medical community and the government to find common ground. He likely understands that for the medical community's claims to be realized in reality, they must be refined through policy. He also knows from experience how to tailor and deliver messages so that government policies can be persuasive to the medical community. Convincing both sides is the greatest role entrusted to him.

Furthermore, Chairman Park must help the medical community understand that the 'people' are the most important factor for medical advancement. Throughout his interview with Asia Economy on the 15th, he emphasized the 'people.' He insisted that the resigned residents must inform the 'people' about the reality of the flawed medical system, persuade the 'people,' and recognize that the resigned residents themselves are also the same 'people.' At the same time, he must inform the medical community, especially residents and medical students, about how the 'people' currently perceive the medical crisis and the actions of the medical community.

Along with this, the government must recognize the KMA emergency committee, which includes resigned residents and medical students, as the unified voice of the medical community and begin negotiations. The government's open attitude toward the KMA emergency committee is the first step toward starting dialogue.