Residents who held an extraordinary general meeting on the night of the 12th in protest against the government’s policy of ‘expanding the medical school admission quota by 2,000’ decided not to immediately take collective action but to form an emergency response committee. The photo shows doctors walking at a university hospital on the morning of the 13th./Reporter Go Un-ho
The Korean Medical Residents’ Association (Daejeon Medical Association) discussed countermeasures to block the government’s ‘increase in medical schools by 2,000’, but could not decide whether to strike, which is the key issue. Daejeon Cooperative held an online extraordinary general meeting of delegates from 9 p.m. on the 12th and discussed all night until dawn the next day. However, on the morning of the 13th, they only announced that “all executives except the chairman will resign and switch to an emergency response committee system,” and did not reveal their position on the strike. It appears that they will not go on strike immediately.
There were many observations that this day’s meeting of the Daejeon Council was a watershed for the ‘doctors’ strike’. There are about 15,000 domestic residents who have joined the Daejeon Association. Although they account for only 13% of the total number of doctors, they are responsible for essential medical treatment in operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency rooms of large hospitals that treat critically ill patients. In the past, the strike participation rate was high at 70-80%, so if they go on strike, there will inevitably be major disruptions in the treatment and surgery of seriously ill patients.
According to the medical community, the positions for and against the strike were tense at this Daejeon Association meeting. There were many opinions that “the policy of increasing the number of medical schools should be defeated through collective action,” but there were also many ‘cautious opinions.’ It is said that the representative ‘cautious opinion’ was the opinion that “public opinion is too unfavorable.” In a survey by the Health and Medical Workers’ Union at the end of last year, 89% of respondents answered ‘in favor of expanding the number of medical school students.’ Other surveys also showed that 70-80% of respondents were in favor of increasing the number of medical schools. It is at an all-time high. In 2020, when doctors’ groups went on strike in protest against the government’s announcement of an increase in the number of medical schools, the response saying ‘I am in favor of increasing the number of medical schools’ remained in the 50% range.
At the meeting that day, there was also an opinion that “even if we go on strike, let’s do it around March, when the contract renewal for medical residents ends.” Residents sign a one-year or multi-year (3-4 years) contract with their affiliated hospital, and this contract is renewed in February-March. If you go on strike now and the government accuses you of violating the medical law, your work experience as a medical resident for the past year may not be recognized. Also, with the revision of the Medical Service Act at the end of last year, some have said that group action should be cautious because doctors’ licenses will be revoked if they receive a sentence of imprisonment or higher. Daejeon Cooperative is considering discussing the strike issue again around the 18th.
Park Min-soo, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said in a briefing after the meeting of the ‘Doctors’ Collective Action Central Accident Control Headquarters’ that day, “It is fortunate that no medical resident group has expressed a position to take collective action,” adding, “Considering that there has been no increase in the number of medical schools over the past 19 years. He said, “Increasing the number of troops by 2,000 is not an increase that is too much, but it is too late.” At the same time, he said, “The announcement of increasing the number of medical schools is not for elections, but a policy decision for the people,” and added, “We will confirm the allocation of medical school seats to each school before April (when the general election is held).” Vice Minister Park said, “We strongly request that doctors not use patients’ lives as tools by taking mass leave or resigning,” and added, “The government will only focus on the people and overcome any difficulties.”
Some in the medical community are of the opinion that “a strike should be held right before the general election to shake up the government and ruling party.” Former Korean Medical Association President Noh Hwan-gyu said on Facebook on the 13th, “The exact opponent in this fight is not the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but the Blue House (Presidential Office),” and “Since increasing the number of medical schools has become a political issue, this fight must also be resolved in consideration of the political situation.” . At the same time, “I recommend that the start of the struggle for doctors (including medical residents) is set for late February. “This is because March, ahead of the general elections in April, is the most vulnerable time for politicians.”
On the other hand, the health and medical union issued a statement on this day, saying, “Expanding the number of medical school students is a national task that all citizens, except the doctor group, support,” and added, “It is absurd for doctors to leave their patients in opposition to expanding the number of medical school students to save patients.” “There is no justification or justification for the collective action of a group of doctors,” he said.
2024-02-13 12:05:50
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