[2020 National Audit] "81.5% of Residents at National Medical Center on Collective Strike Despite COVID-19"

Nam In-soon "Public Medical Institutions Forget Their Duty... Must Be Held Strictly Accountable"

Status of National Medical Center's COVID-19 Response from January to September 2020

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jung] Criticism has been raised that the majority of residents at the National Medical Center participating in a collective strike during the emergency situation of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is an act of neglecting their duties.

According to the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee member Nam In-soon of the Democratic Party of Korea, based on the audit data submitted by the National Medical Center on the 15th, among the total 92 residents, 75, accounting for 81.5%, participated in collective actions related to the medical community's strike and residents' group actions since August 21.

Rep. Nam said, "During the medical community's collective strike incident last August, the majority of residents at the National Medical Center, a pivotal public medical institution in Korea, participated in group actions such as leaving their workplaces and not attending to patients," adding, "Although it should perform the most critical roles such as providing essential medical services as a central infectious disease specialized hospital, operating COVID-19 screening clinics, and treating severe COVID-19 patients, the majority of residents neglected their duties and participated in collective actions, which deserves criticism."

He added, "It is understood that the National Medical Center did not approve leave during the residents' collective actions," and said, "There is a high possibility that these residents' group actions were illegal or violated training regulations, making measures unavoidable."

Rep. Nam pointed out, "The National Medical Center must protect patients until the end during the COVID-19 emergency situation more than any other medical institution in the country," and noted, "In August, when the residents participated in collective actions, the actual number of COVID-19 inpatients reached 72."

He continued, emphasizing, "The National Medical Center should take the lead in responding to infectious disease public health crisis emergencies, but the majority of residents neglected their duties and participated in collective actions. Strict responsibility must be clearly held to prevent recurrence of similar cases."

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