Government Cancels Headquarters Briefing Amid Legislative Conflict and Medical Community Unification: Sajik Medical Residents Sue Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare

Even after the general election, the conflict over legislation is deepening as the government has not expressed any particular position on medical reform, such as increasing the number of medical schools. About 1,300 medical residents plan to sue Park Min-soo, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, on charges of abuse of power and other charges.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 15th, the government canceled the ‘Physicians’ Collective Action Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters)’ briefing scheduled for this morning the afternoon before.

In the midst of the medical vacuum crisis, the government announced the need for medical reform through briefings by the Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Central Accident Control Headquarters (Heavy Response Headquarters), but stopped briefings on the 9th, the day before the 22nd National Assembly election.

It was expected that the government would resume briefings on this day, after the general election, and reveal the direction of medical reform, but the schedule was suddenly canceled. An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare explained, “The briefing was canceled because there was not much new agenda or anything new to say.”

While the government remains silent, the medical community, which has been evaluated as divided, is focusing on unifying its position centered on the Korean Medical Association. In a briefing after a meeting the day before, the Medical Association Emergency Response Committee said, “All doctors are united around the Medical Association and speaking with one voice.”

The emergency committee emphasized, “The consistent position of the medical association, medical students, and residents is that the single demand of medical groups is to re-discuss the original point of increasing the number of medical schools,” and added, “The emergency committee will strive to carry out the position of residents and students until the end.”

On this day, 1,325 Sajik medical students plan to sue Park Min-soo, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of the exercise of rights. They explained, “We suffered damage from various policies due to the government’s enforcement of the policy to expand the number of medical school students.”

In addition, as group actions by medical students, such as taking a leave of absence, continue, approximately 80% of medical schools nationwide will resume classes by this week to prevent mass repeating of students.

According to the Ministry of Education, ▲ Catholic Kwandong University ▲ Catholic University ▲ Konkuk University branch ▲ Konyang University ▲ Gyeongsang National University ▲ Keimyung University ▲ Dankook University (Cheonan) ▲ Daegu Catholic University ▲ Dong-A University ▲ Pusan ​​National University ▲ Sungkyunkwan University ▲ Yonsei University branch ▲ Ulsan University ▲ Wonkwang University ▲ Jeonnam ▲On this day, 16 medical schools, including Chosun University, The semester begins.

Schools that have already started or resumed classes after a break include: ▲ Gachon University ▲ Kyungpook National University ▲ Kyung Hee University ▲ Korea University ▲ Dongguk University branch ▲ Seoul National University ▲ Yonsei University ▲ Yeungnam University ▲ Ewha Womans University ▲ Inje University ▲ Chonbuk National University ▲ Jeju National University ▲ Chungnam National University ▲ Chungbuk National University ▲ Hallym University 16 schools including Hanyang University all.

Meanwhile, Kim Taek-woo, chairman of the Korean Medical Association Emergency Committee, and former emergency committee Organizational Strengthening Committee Chairman Park Myeong-ha, who were subject to administrative disposition for license suspension on charges of inciting group action among doctors, will have their medical licenses suspended for three months from this day.

In relation to this, the emergency committee said, “The application to suspend the execution of the license suspension was rejected, so we appealed to the superior court,” and urged, “Please cancel the administrative order.”