South Korea’s doctors plan Jun 18 strike to protest reforms

SEUL: South Korea’s leading doctors ‘ lobby group announced on Sunday ( Jun 9 ) that it would go on a strike on Jun 18 to protest the government’s healthcare reform plan, defying the prime minister’s warning that such action would harm the reputation of the medical community.

The Korean Medical Association, which it says represents the government’s 140, 000 physicians, said 74 per share of the people who participated in a ballot approved” social behavior”.

The government’s program, according to Association President Lim Hyun-taek, would endanger the nation’s healthcare system and fail to address the persistent issues involving fewer physicians practicing in crucial fields and receiving unfavorable pay.

The Korean Medical Association ( KMA ) will continue to lead the charge in the fight to save the medical system, Lim said at a meeting attended by representatives of various medical organizations.

On June 18, Lim predicted that the organization would suspend operations and hold a large march.

Specialists in South Korea object to a plan to increase the number of new students enrolling in medical schools from the latest 3, 000, which is the centerpiece of the government’s medical reform.

On February 20, thousands of apprentice doctors, including medical interns and native doctors, walked off the job, causing big hospitals to reduce non-emergency services and turn up patients in the emergency rooms.

The government claimed that the increase is necessary to make up for the serious medical deficit, which will only get worse in the coming decades.

The authorities called on the organization just before the KMA gathering to refrain from any activity that would endanger the safety of the public and may hurt doctors ‘ status and undermine confidence in the medical profession.

Han Duck-soo, the leader of the government, called for dialogue to end the conflict, and said any collective actions by the doctors was profoundly terrible and illegal.

Han stated at a press conference that” the interpersonal trust that the health community and people have built over numerous generations must not be left to collapse.”