Medical Community Welcomes Jeong Eun-kyeong's Appointment as Minister... "Dialogue Forum Needed"

"Hope for Sincere Dialogue"

The medical community has expressed hope that the appointment of Jeong Eun-kyeong as Minister of Health and Welfare will help resolve ongoing conflicts between the government and healthcare professionals.

Yonhap News Agency

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) issued a statement on the 22nd, saying, "We hope this will become a turning point for normalizing healthcare for the benefit of public health." The association added, "We believe that Minister Jeong will establish sustainable healthcare policies through sincere communication and cooperation with the medical community and will create policies that both the public and healthcare professionals can trust."

The KMA further stated, "A practical forum for dialogue must be established as soon as possible, so that residents can resume their training and medical students can return to their educational settings. The KMA will fulfill its responsibilities in communication and cooperation with the government."

The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) also congratulated Minister Jeong on her appointment and urged, "We hope for sincere dialogue aimed at rebuilding critical and essential medical services."

KIRA continued, "As both the President and the Minister have mentioned, there are significant challenges facing the medical community. We, the young doctors, also feel the weight of these issues. Although the process will be difficult, we are determined to address these challenges."

Previously, on the 19th, KIRA finalized three major demands: the formation of a consultative body centered on field experts to review the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's essential medical policy package; improvements to the training environment and continuity of residency programs; and the establishment of a discussion body to reduce the legal burdens associated with medical accidents.

Regarding these demands, KIRA stated, "These are the urgent voices of young doctors seeking to rebuild critical and essential medical services that have been neglected and are collapsing. We deeply agree that fundamental innovation is needed to establish a sustainable healthcare system, and we hope to work together, step by step, toward this goal."