Will gov’t, doctors move toward breakthrough in standoff ?
Health minister urges medical professors to persuade trainee doctors to return to hospitals
Both the government and doctors are showing subtle changes to their positions amid the protracted confrontation over the medical school quota hike policy, raising cautious expectations that a breakthrough in the ongoing health care standoff caused by the nationwide walkout of trainee doctors could be reached in the near future.
The presidential office said Monday that the government is “open to dialogue” with doctors regarding the policy, while the head of the medical school professors’ association offered an official apology to the public for having caused significant medical service disruptions.
Their comments raised the possibility — and hopes — that the both sides could take a step back and make a concession in any form, at a time when over 10,000 trainee doctors, comprising interns and resident doctors, have embarked on a mass resignation for about a month to protest the government’s plan to add 2,000 more slots to enrollment quotas at medical schools starting next year.
The current admissions quotas of the 40 medical schools in Korea are set at a total of 3,058.
During a radio interview, Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social policy, said the government is open to dialogue at any time to discuss the matter with doctors. When asked about the need to make even a little change to the government’s position over adding the 2,000 slots, he said, “We are open to that agenda.”
Jang’s comments were considered a subtle change in tone, given that the government has so far stressed that boosting the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 is a minimum necessary measure aimed at addressing a shortage of doctors with no room for negotiation or compromise.
Jang said, however, that the government will continue trying to persuade doctors by providing “scientific and logical evidence” justifying its decision to raise the quota.
On the same day, Bang Jae-seung, chief of the emergency committee of medical school professors, made an apology to the public for the disruptions to medical services, as the ongoing government-doctor conflicts have resulted in postponement or rescheduling of surgeries and other medical procedures.
The apology came just two days after the medical professors’ group announced a decision to submit resignations en masse starting next Monday in a collective action to put further pressure on the government.
“I could feel the anger of the public when I read comments posted to news articles or YouTube videos,” Bang said. “Without the people, doctors will not exist, either. I will promote communication to listen to the difficulties experienced by the public.”
Bang offered an apology to trainee doctors, too, for leaving them suffering from excessive working hours in the name of education and training.
“I didn’t have a critical opinion about that as I learned things under the same environment. As a teacher, I sincerely apologize,” he said.
Bang stressed that professors’ decision to tender resignations was a last resort to pressure the government to find a breakthrough and trainee doctors to return to work, as “the ongoing situation should be resolved before April to prevent the real collapse of the medical system.”
Since the government announced on Feb. 6 its decision to hike the medical school quota, over 90 percent of the country’s 13,000 trainee doctors have walked off the job, claiming that the policy will compromise the quality of medical training and education.
The professors’ threat of mass resignation added fuel to the already mounting concerns that medical professionals, such as nurses, who have maintained their duties filling the vacuum left by protesting trainee doctors, have reached their physical and emotional limits.
Doctors who operate local clinics are also moving to join the collective action by reducing consultation hours at night and during weekends, while nearly 8,000 medical students, about 40 percent of the total, have applied for a leave of absence in protest.
Amid growing concerns, President Yoon Suk Yeol met with doctors at Asan Medical Center in Seoul and asked veteran physicians to trust the government, engage in dialogue and persuade striking trainee doctors to return to work. This marked the president’s first visit to a hospital since the trainee doctors’ walkout began about a month ago.
“I assure you, there will be no compromise in the quality of medical services,” Yoon said. “I ask you to stop adhering to the position that doctors cannot engage in any dialogue unless the government adjusts the number of new slots in the enrollment quota, and persuade your juniors by emphasizing the importance of the future.”
Later in the day, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong met with the heads of the country’s top five hospitals — Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.
During the meeting, the health ministry once again urged the heads of the hospitals to make comprehensive preparations to avoid any delays in surgeries and other medical treatments for patients in critical or emergency condition.
“The government will also take necessary measures to ensure the continued operation of the emergency health care system,” Cho said.