Presidential Office Refutes Patient Hostage Group Actions and Government Criticism: "Doctors in Any Country"

Presidential Office Lists Yoon's Medical Actions and Essential Medical Policies Since Inauguration in Response to Medical School Professors' Association Statement, Refuting Each Point

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the "Eighth Public Discussion on Livelihoods with the People - Medical Reform to Save Lives and Communities" held at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province on the 1st.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 25th, the Presidential Office actively refuted the statement by the National Council of Medical School Professors claiming that "the government did not discuss with essential medical practitioners before announcing the increase in medical school admissions," stating that it is "not true." In particular, it criticized the doctors engaged in collective action, saying, "In no country in the world have doctors taken extreme actions such as submitting collective resignation letters or medical students collectively taking leave of absence as a hostage to patient lives over the increase in medical school quotas."

By listing the schedules related to the medical community and the 130 rounds of consultations and 28 meetings between the government and the medical community since President Yoon Seok-yeol's inauguration, as well as the timing of the announcement of measures to strengthen essential medical care after the government was launched, the Presidential Office's rebuttal is interpreted as an intention not to give any justification or initiative to the doctors' collective actions.

Kim Soo-kyung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and stated, "The claim by the National Council of Medical School Professors that 'the government never asked essential medical practitioners what they needed before announcing the increase in medical school admissions' and 'has not presented any solutions recently for pediatrics' is not true."

She added, "The claim that the government suddenly announced an increase of 2,000 medical school admissions without making any efforts to address the causes of the collapse of essential medical care in rural areas, such as low medical fees, inadequate medical delivery systems, medical accidents, and legal protection systems, is also not true."

Spokesperson Kim also enumerated the cases where President Yoon visited medical sites after his inauguration. Contrary to the doctors' claims, strengthening essential and regional medical care has been a core policy of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration.

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the Pediatric Surgery Ward at Seoul National University Children's Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on February 22 last year, encouraging hospitalized children and their guardians. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, in February last year, President Yoon visited the Seoul National University Children's Hospital, held a meeting with medical staff, patients, and guardians, and instructed the government to prepare 24-hour pediatric care measures to improve the pediatric medical system.

In October last year, he visited Chungbuk National University Hospital and chaired an essential medical innovation strategy meeting to foster essential medical institutions in national university hospitals, gathering opinions from hospital directors, university presidents, and representatives from the medical and educational sectors. This month, he chaired a public discussion on medical reform at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, listened to opinions from doctors in essential medical fields, firefighters, families of medical accident patients, and civic groups, and announced a four-policy package for medical reform.

The four-policy package includes plans for more than 10 trillion won in essential medical compensation to strengthen regional medical care, such as mitigating judicial risks related to medical accidents and improving the medical delivery system, which were emphasized by the National Council of Medical School Professors. Additionally, the Presidential Office stated that investments such as the approval of 900 billion won in health insurance funds for strengthening essential medical care in November last year and the decision to invest 310 billion won in pediatric medical care are being implemented.

Spokesperson Kim said, "President Yoon has shown more interest in medical sites than any previous president, listening to the opinions of doctors, patients, guardians, and experts, and emphasizing the preparation of measures to strengthen regional and essential medical care." She pointed out, "When the government announced pediatric medical measures, the Korean Society of Pediatrics also expressed its welcome, and the Medical Association issued a statement agreeing with the direction of the essential medical innovation strategy and essential medical package."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is presiding over the Essential Medical Innovation Strategy Meeting to Save Lives and Communities at the Gaesin Culture Hall, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk, on the 19th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Kim also emphasized that the government has conducted over 130 rounds of consultations with various sectors including the medical community and held 28 meetings with the Medical Association through a separate consultative body regarding regional medical essential policies and the expansion of medical personnel.

Regarding this, a Presidential Office official said, "When we repeatedly asked the doctors to specify the appropriate scale they wanted, there was little response," and criticized, "They have been very defensive and passive, but when the government announced an estimate of 2,000, they reacted extremely." He added, "In this situation, the government kept the door open for dialogue, but now saying that if it is not withdrawn, they will not engage in dialogue is somewhat difficult."

The spokesperson firmly denied the doctors' associations' claims that the government is responsible for the doctors' collective actions. Kim said, "They say that the biggest responsibility for the resignation of residents and the leave of absence of medical students lies with the government and that such incidents have never happened anywhere else in the world. However, as far as we know, in no country in the world have doctors taken extreme actions such as submitting collective resignation letters or medical students collectively taking leave of absence as a hostage to patient lives over the increase in medical school quotas."

Regarding the National Council of Medical School Professors' self-appointment as a mediator between the government and doctors, the official said, "The government is willing to have dialogue anyway. However, setting conditions that make dialogue impossible and saying that dialogue will only happen if those conditions are met is practically the same as not engaging in dialogue," adding that such a stance is difficult to accept. He suggested that doctors demanding dialogue with conditions such as reducing or withdrawing the increase in medical school admissions is essentially a refusal to engage in dialogue.

On the 21st, concerns over a medical crisis are growing due to the collective resignation and work stoppage of residents opposing the increase in medical school quotas. A notice about the shortage of medical staff is posted in the emergency room of a university hospital in downtown Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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