Ju Ho-young Proposes "Formation of a Consultative Body Among Ruling and Opposition Parties and Medical Sector"... "Both Complaints and Strikes Must Stop"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, proposed on the 31st the formation of a consultative body involving the medical community, the government, and both ruling and opposition parties. He suggested establishing the consultative body after the end of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to reconsider the issues from scratch. Until then, he urged the government to completely halt its policies and the medical community to stop the strike.

On the afternoon of the same day, Joo held an emergency press conference at the National Assembly and said, "The collective medical suspension triggered by the government's unilateral policy push has continued for 11 days."

He addressed the government, saying, "Please completely stop discussions on expanding medical school quotas and establishing public medical schools until the end of COVID-19," and criticized, "It is difficult to accept and wrong to push forward without consulting the medical community at a time when we should be doing our best to overcome the infectious disease." Joo also stated, "The government's role is to create conditions for doctors fighting on the front lines to focus on patient care, but instead, it has caused a decline in medical staff morale."

He proposed that discussions on medical policy be reconsidered from the beginning after COVID-19 ends by forming a consultative body involving the majority of the medical community and both ruling and opposition parties. Joo added, "The consultative body should guarantee participation from the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Intern Resident Association, medical schools, medical professional colleges, student associations, and the association of full-time medical specialists."

Furthermore, he requested the government to withdraw charges against residents and urged the medical community to promptly end the strike.

Joo said, "Among the 10 people charged, there are those who performed overnight surgeries and residents who were exposed while treating COVID-19 patients, underwent two weeks of self-quarantine, and were charged immediately upon returning. There are reports that the charges were made without proper fact-checking, which caused great anger on the ground," and urged, "Please cancel the charges against the residents for a smooth resolution of the situation." Following this, Lee Jong-bae, chairman of the Policy Committee, addressed the medical community, saying, "Emergency patients are occurring even at this moment. At this critical time when we must block the resurgence of COVID-19, doctors need to be by the patients' side," and earnestly requested, "Please return to your respective posts."

The United Future Party also requested an extension of the practical exam for the national medical licensing examination, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow.

Joo explained that this proposal was made after communication with the Korean Medical Association. He said, "It is not much different from what the government has communicated with the Korean Medical Association so far. Nevertheless, we held this press conference because if tomorrow's exam proceeds as planned, the situation will become uncontrollable," adding, "If the exam proceeds as is, the government will be making a big mistake," and criticized, "It is easy to be misunderstood as dividing the public and shirking responsibility."

In response to a question about whether the agreement drafted by the government and the Korean Medical Association included a clause to postpone discussions until COVID-19 subsides, he explained, "At that time, there were differences in opinion on whether the end of COVID-19 referred to the metropolitan area or nationwide, and there were differences in expression on whether the discussion was to be reconsidered from scratch or approached progressively," and added, "The reason it was not finalized was a matter of trust, and in that regard, the United Future Party will do its best to ensure the government fulfills its promises."

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