Governor Won Hee-ryong Meets with Jeju Medical Association, Urges "Consider the People's Concerns"

Governor Won Hee-ryong is meeting with Kang Ji-eon, president of the Jeju Medical Association, along with executives and residents of the Jeju Medical Association on the 26th.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Park Chang-won] Won Hee-ryong, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, said on the 26th, “The public is worried that there may be gaps in COVID-19 quarantine due to medical strikes,” and urged, “Please carefully consider the concerns of the people.”

Governor Won made these remarks while listening to difficulties in the medical field during a meeting at 10 a.m. in his office with Kang Ji-eon, President of the Jeju Medical Association, along with other executives and residents of the Jeju Medical Association.

Governor Won said, “Despite the difficult situation caused by COVID-19, thanks to the medical community’s hard work, the residents trust and rely on them,” and added, “If the medical system collapses, unimaginable events will occur. I ask the medical community to take the lead in protecting Jeju, where everyone is safe from COVID-19, until the end.”

Regarding the second general strike of the Medical Association, President Kang Ji-eon claimed, “The problem in the COVID-19 crisis is not a lack of infectious disease specialists but a shortage of quarantine managers,” and said, “Wrong prescriptions are coming out due to the government’s incorrect cause analysis.”

Using nursing staff as an example, he said, “Although the number of nursing students was more than doubled due to a shortage of nurses, only half of those trained as nurses remain due to the intensity of the work,” and added, “The shortage of personnel can be solved not by hiring many people and relying on a trickle-down effect but by creating a work environment where people can actually work.”

Lee Sang-heon, head of the Jeju branch of the Resident Doctors Association, said, “Life-saving departments such as surgery, thoracic surgery, and neurosurgery are called undesirable departments due to high workload and system intensity,” and emphasized, “The workload and system must be improved so that specialists do not avoid these departments and can step forward as specialists,” stressing changes in the medical system rather than increasing the number of doctors.

In response, Governor Won said, “I fully understand the difficult situation in the medical field,” and added, “If the Jeju Medical Association provides many suggestions and opinions to strengthen the medical system, we will listen carefully and work together with the Medical Association to find a consensus.”

Meanwhile, Jeju Province is promoting emergency medical measures, including establishing and operating an emergency medical countermeasure situation room, to respond to COVID-19 quarantine and medical gaps caused by the second general strike of the Medical Association.

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