Expected to Engage in Dialogue Based on Collected Opinions
The new Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) has begun gathering opinions from its members regarding the conditions for returning in September.
Hansungjon, the newly appointed Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), is attending the KIRA temporary general assembly held at the Seoul Medical Association in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 28th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News
According to the medical community on July 3, the KIRA Emergency Response Committee launched a survey the previous day, asking residents to identify the government requirements necessary for their return to training hospitals in September.
In the survey, the committee requested that respondents rank 11 conditions that they believe KIRA should demand from the government in order of priority.
The conditions presented by the committee are as follows: ▲ Re-examination of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's essential healthcare policy package and medical reform implementation plan ▲ Increasing the proportion of physicians in healthcare governance ▲ Adherence to the three-year advance notice system for medical school enrollment quotas ▲ Expansion of specialist recruitment at training hospitals ▲ Reduction of legal liability for unavoidable medical accidents ▲ Improvement of the training environment for residents ▲ Guaranteeing continuity of training for residents entering or awaiting military service ▲ Abolition of Article 59 of the Medical Service Act (order to commence work) ▲ Guaranteeing the three basic labor rights for residents under Article 33 of the Constitution ▲ Resolving educational issues for medical students in the classes of 2024 and 2025 ▲ Increasing flexibility in academic policies for medical students.
The new Emergency Response Committee is expected to enter discussions with the government and the National Assembly based on the internal opinions collected through the survey. Previously, KIRA announced immediately after the election of the new committee chair, Hansungjon, that it would engage in forward-looking dialogue with the government and the National Assembly.
The government, while not having established a specific plan yet, is also preparing for discussions with the residents. On her way to work on this day, Health and Welfare Minister nominee Chung Eun-kyung responded to reporters' questions about whether she planned to listen to the residents' opinions by saying, "The government, led by the vice minister, is continuously monitoring the situation."
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