Democratic Party and Medical Association Agreement: "End Strike and Return to Work" (Comprehensive)

End of the 15-Day Collective Strike by Medical Residents

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The collective strike by medical residents, which lasted for half a month, will come to an end as the medical community and the ruling party dramatically reach an agreement on key medical policies.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the ruling party announced on the 4th, "We have reached an agreement on medical policies including the expansion of medical school quotas, and plan to stop the collective strike that began on the 21st of last month and return to the field."

On this day, Han Jeong-ae, Chair of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Party, and Choi Dae-jib, President of the KMA, held a signing ceremony for the final agreement on five clauses at the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido in the morning.

A ruling party official said, "We have tentatively prepared five agreements including the content to reconsider the establishment of public medical schools and the regional doctor system from scratch," adding, "We agreed to create a permanent consultative body to discuss medical issues, and the National Assembly agreed not to process already submitted bills without consulting the medical community." He continued, "As soon as the agreement with the government is announced this morning, medical personnel plan to stop collective actions and return to the field."

The KMA conducted overnight negotiations with the ruling party from the previous day and tentatively prepared five agreements. The agreement includes suspending discussions related to the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of new public medical schools until the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) stabilizes, and after stabilization, forming a consultative body to reopen all possibilities from scratch focusing on the bills for re-discussion.

Additionally, the Democratic Party of Korea will strive to secure sufficient budgets to enhance the competitiveness of public health medical institutions and improve the quality of medical care. Based on the demands of the Korean Intern Resident Association, they will prepare necessary administrative and financial support measures to improve the training environment for residents and working conditions for full-time doctors through the enactment and revision of related laws such as the Special Act on Residents.

Furthermore, the agreement includes closely cooperating to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and preparing and implementing specific measures to protect medical personnel and support medical institutions.

The KMA is also expected to announce the agreement with the government soon. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "We have only reached an agreement with the KMA and plan to announce it this morning," adding, "The schedule for the signing ceremony between the Ministry and the KMA will be announced as soon as the time and place are confirmed."

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