KMA: "National Healthcare Crisis... Public-Private Joint System Must Be Launched"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The Korea Medical Association (KMA) declared a 'national medical crisis' as the current situation, where around 1,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 occur daily, is beyond the medical community's capacity to handle.

On the 23rd, KMA President Choi Dae-jip held a press conference at the temporary office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, declaring the national medical crisis, stating, "The accumulated fatigue of medical staff and difficulties in securing hospital beds, as well as the imminent collapse of critical patient treatment and emergency medical systems, are at hand."

President Choi pointed out, "The government currently demands that all medical resources be focused on COVID-19 and has ordered private medical institutions to secure beds for COVID-19 patients," adding, "Excessive focus on treating COVID-19 could threaten the lives of patients suffering from other diseases."

The KMA proposed that the government form a National Emergency Medical Committee to establish comprehensive measures to overcome the national medical crisis caused by COVID-19.

President Choi said, "The top urgent tasks are measures to prevent the collapse of the medical system for COVID-19 and general critical patients, the essential emergency medical system, and securing medical personnel," emphasizing, "A public-private joint system including medical experts must be launched."

He also stressed that the government, medical community, and the public must unite to overcome the crisis.

President Choi added, "If we fail to overcome the current national medical crisis, not only COVID-19 management but also general medical care, including critical patients, will collapse," and requested, "Please do not let your guard down and maintain absolute vigilance as we have so far."

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