President Moon: "Grateful to Doctors... Very Glad About Medical-Government Agreement"

"There is a saying that the ground hardens after the rain"

President Moon Jae-in is presiding over the senior secretaries and aides meeting at the Blue House on the 31st of last month.

President Moon Jae-in said on the 4th that he is "very relieved and welcomes" the government and the medical community, who had been clashing over the expansion of public healthcare, reaching a final agreement amid the prolonged doctors' collective strike, which must have caused great concern among the public.

President Moon stated, as conveyed by Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok in a written briefing, "With today's agreement, doctors will return to medical sites, allowing us to protect patients' lives and health without any medical gaps, greatly alleviating public anxiety."

President Moon said, "There is a saying that the ground hardens after the rain," adding, "I hope this will be an opportunity to advance our healthcare system to the next level."

He also said, "Thanks to the dedication and hard work of doctors so far, we were able to protect the lives and health of the people and achieve the success of K-Quarantine," and "I repeatedly express my gratitude to the doctors who have been guarding the medical frontlines. I have no doubt that doctors will continue to play a significant role at this point."

President Moon expressed hope that "(the government and the medical community) will engage in frank dialogue, cooperate with the National Assembly, and pool wisdom," and stated, "The government will communicate with a more humble attitude and do its best for the ultimate goal of improving public health." He emphasized, "The government will also devote itself to the all-out response system against COVID-19."

Meanwhile, after overnight negotiations, the Korean Medical Association, the government, and the ruling party reached a final agreement on the 4th to reconsider the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of public medical schools from scratch. Following this agreement, the doctors' strike, which began on the 21st of last month in opposition to the government's policy, has come to a temporary end.

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