"Can't Endure Anymore" Health Workers' General Strike Approaches... Is a Medical Crisis Becoming Reality?

Health Workers' Union Announces General Strike at 7 AM on the 2nd
Demands Expansion of Public Healthcare and Improved Working Conditions
Government and Health Workers' Union to Enter Final Labor-Management Talks at 3 PM on the 1st
Experts Agree on Need to Revamp Healthcare System Due to Medical Staff Exhaustion

On the morning of the 18th of last month, the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union announced a general strike scheduled for the 2nd in front of Daegu City Hall.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] With the government and the Health and Medical Workers' Union (Health Union) unable to narrow their differences, the general strike announced by the Health Union is just one day away. Some voices express concern about medical gaps as COVID-19 cases continue to record four-digit numbers daily.

Earlier, since May, the Health Union has been conducting practical negotiations with the government, demanding the expansion of public healthcare and an increase in medical personnel. When no conclusion was reached, on the 17th of last month, 124 branches (136 medical institutions) simultaneously filed for dispute mediation. Even at the 12th negotiation held on the 30th of last month, both sides failed to reach an agreement.

Accordingly, the Health Union reiterated its stance to proceed with the general strike at 7 a.m. on the 2nd. In an emergency statement on the 31st, they said, "We earnestly ask you to understand once again the desperate feelings that compel us to continue this discussion with a do-or-die determination until this time today," adding, "Medical personnel on the front lines of COVID-19 say this strike is their last hope to give up the dream of resignation. Medical staff are now standing at the edge of a cliff."

The Health Union's demands include △ establishing standards for COVID-19 dedicated hospitals and response medical personnel △ expanding public healthcare △ improving treatment for medical personnel △ and expanding the education-dedicated nurse system.

Additionally, concerns about medical staff burnout have been raised previously. It is pointed out that the current on-site personnel cannot cope with the prolonged battle that has continued since the first domestic COVID-19 case in January last year. Na Soon-ja, chairperson of the Health Union, appealed on the 27th of last month, saying, "We have endured for one year and seven months, and we cannot handle this long-term battle whose end is unknown as it is," and "There are concerns about a strike during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we do not want to strike either."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's mental health survey of healthcare personnel supports this. According to the mental health status survey of public health center personnel by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, announced by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 17th, the depression risk group was 33.4%, and the anxiety risk group was 27.6%, more than twice as high as the general public (12.2%).

On the 29th of last month, citizens lined up to get tested at the COVID-19 screening center set up at Seoul Station Plaza. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The government is concerned about medical gaps if the strike materializes. On the 31st, Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol expressed in a public address at the Government Complex Sejong, "If disruptions occur in hospitals treating COVID-19 patients and screening clinics due to the strike announced by the Health Union, it will immediately lead to an increase in waiting patients and delays in transferring severe patients, causing treatment disruptions," adding, "This will place a heavy burden on the medical system, and the damage will directly affect the public."

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to prepare emergency medical measures in response to the Health Union's strike. Minister Kwon said, "According to the emergency medical measures, we will maintain a 24-hour emergency medical system including emergency centers, extend weekday consultation hours at hospital-level institutions, and ensure the participation of public hospitals not involved in the strike in emergency medical care without disruption," adding, "We also ask the public to visit medical institutions only when necessary so that precious treatment opportunities can be allocated to those who need them more."

On the same day, the Korea Hospital Association, in response to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's request to operate the emergency medical system, sent cooperation letters to each hospital requesting △ maintenance of a 24-hour emergency medical system △ extension of weekday consultation hours △ and measures to minimize disruptions in COVID-19 patient care at infectious disease-dedicated hospitals. The association urged in the letter, "We ask for your cooperation to prevent inconvenience to patients and the public in the community due to medical service gaps."

Experts agreed with the difficulties faced by medical sites as claimed by the Health Union. Professor Cheon Eun-mi of the Respiratory Medicine Department at Ewha Mokdong Hospital said in an interview with TV Chosun on the 22nd of last month, "The Health Union has many nurses who are in great difficulty. Doctors are also in a state of personnel depletion. Almost all medical staff in public medical institutions are exhausted," and added, "There is a need to reorganize the medical system even now."

Meanwhile, the government and the Health Union will hold another labor-government consultation at 3 p.m. on the 1st to enter final negotiations.

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