Ministry of Health and Medical Workers' Union Agreement...KMA Criticizes "Doctor Increase Should Be Discussed with KMA"

"Dogmatic Compromise That Cannot Guarantee Feasibility"

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum (right) and Na Soon-ja, Chairperson of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, attended the 13th practical labor-government consultation meeting between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health and Medical Workers' Union held at the Healthcare Institution Evaluation and Accreditation Institute in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, on the 1st. After a separate meeting, they greeted each other with a fist bump. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The Korean Medical Association (KMA) stated on the 2nd that discussions regarding the increase of doctors to strengthen public healthcare, as outlined in the agreement between the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union (Health and Medical Union) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, should be held with the medical organizations.

In a statement released that day, the KMA raised its voice, saying, "Looking at the detailed contents of the agreement between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health and Medical Union, it is not only concerning but even deplorable in terms of validity and feasibility."

The KMA criticized, "Most of the contents included in this agreement, such as strengthening public healthcare, are matters to be discussed in the medical consultation body according to last year’s medical agreement, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare involved the KMA in this (Health and Medical Union) strike without any prior agreement," adding, "This is a behavior of making empty promises in an attempt to manage the imminent strike."

Regarding the increase in medical personnel, the KMA also sharply criticized, "They made a unilateral compromise without even a single discussion with the directly involved party, the KMA, and without guaranteeing feasibility." They warned, "If the establishment of a National Medical Graduate School and the introduction of a regional doctor system to increase the number of doctors are attempted unilaterally without going through the medical consultation body, it will inevitably lead to a disastrous situation."

The agreement announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that day with the Health and Medical Union included items such as the "establishment of a National Medical Graduate School and the introduction of a regional doctor system to increase the number of doctors." Both parties explained, "Considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation and through medical and social discussions, we will prepare and promote plans to expand medical personnel, including training public doctors and introducing a regional doctor system, while improving the treatment environment and working conditions so that an appropriate number of doctors can be allocated to regional, public, and essential fields."

The KMA expressed "deep regret over the anti-democratic behavior of including matters such as increasing medical personnel unilaterally in the agreement between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health and Medical Union, ignoring previous medical agreements and without communicating with the directly involved party, the KMA," and urged, "In the agreement to withdraw the strike, we once again call for the implementation of the September 4 medical agreement with the medical community, which promised improvements in the medical environment and system, rather than temporary stopgap measures, to prevent a recurrence of incidents like the current Health and Medical Union situation."

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