[D-1 Doctors' General Strike] "No Justification or Legitimacy, Must Stop"... 'Doctor vs Doctor' Conflict Emerging

On the 21st, a resident undergoing training at a general hospital, such as an intern or resident, is holding a solo protest in front of the main building of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, opposing the government's policy to expand the quota of medical school students. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Korean Medical Association, the Korean Association of Full-time Physicians, and the Korean Interns and Residents Association have announced a second nationwide doctors' strike from the 26th to the 28th in opposition to the government's medical policies, including the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of a public medical school. Amid this, voices within the medical community are criticizing the strike, saying "strikes without justification and legitimacy must stop," revealing a 'doctor versus doctor' conflict dynamic.

According to the Association of Physicians for Humanism (AOPH) on the 25th, the AOPH urged doctors to stop the strike and focus on COVID-19 prevention and treatment in a statement released the previous day.

The AOPH emphasized, "COVID-19 patients are occurring nationwide, and hospital bed saturation has become a reality," adding, "In such circumstances, due to the nature of infectious diseases, the role of medical personnel, including doctors, is especially important." They pointed out, "Because of the doctors' strike, some hospitals have already declared they cannot accept emergency room critical patients, severely ill patients have missed scheduled surgeries, and some hospitals have reduced COVID-19 testing."

They criticized, "Doctors choosing to refuse treatment at this time over a roughly 10% increase in medical school quotas from 3,058 to 3,458 is an unethical act lacking justification and legitimacy."

The government also expressed concerns about treatment gaps such as emergency patient care and surgery schedule disruptions ahead of the second nationwide doctors' strike and appealed for restraint in collective action by the medical community.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' quarantine team, said at the regular COVID-19 Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing that day, "We are deeply concerned about the possibility of harm to the lives and safety of the public due to disruptions in medical care such as postponed screenings and surgeries," adding, "The government will do its best to engage in dialogue with the medical community to prevent increased public anxiety and worry and to find a consensus where both the public and medical community can coexist."

He added, "The government empathizes with the issues raised by the medical community and will keep an open mind to all possibilities and work together to resolve the problems," and earnestly requested, "We sincerely ask the medical community to stop collective actions that may harm patients and return to the clinical field to faithfully carry out their primary duty of saving precious lives."

Separately, although the government had previously suggested it might issue a work commencement order if the medical community continued the strike, it took a cautious stance that day. Son Young-rae, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' strategic planning team, said, "A work commencement order is a final matter to be reviewed that enforces legal coercive power," adding, "Currently, since we are continuing dialogue with the Korean Medical Association, it is not appropriate to discuss this."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.