Citizen Group: "Strengthening Public Healthcare is the Answer... Must Expand More Than Twice Within 5 Years"

As the medical gap continues due to the collective resignation of residents, civic groups have called for strengthening public healthcare and measures to increase public health personnel.

The Good Public Hospital Movement Headquarters held a press conference on the 28th at the Areumdri Hall of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "It is the way to prevent the crisis of regional and local healthcare for the state to take responsibility for and expand public medical resources."

The Movement Headquarters for Creating Good Public Hospitals held a press conference on the 28th at Areumdri Hall, People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "It is the way to prevent the crisis of regional and local healthcare by having the state take responsibility for and expand public medical resources." Photo by Seongah Shim heart@

On this day, Na Baek-ju, policy committee chairman of the Good Public Hospital Movement Headquarters, pointed out, "With the expected mass occurrence of patients due to aging and climate crisis, dependence on public hospitals will deepen further," adding, "The government is only talking about the number 2,000 without any measures on where and how to work, and what is needed to practice public healthcare with pride."

Seo Hae-yong, vice chairman of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, said, "There is nowhere in the various policies announced by the government, such as the essential medical package, that includes solutions to save lives and communities or the strengthening of public healthcare through the expansion of facilities, equipment, and personnel in public hospitals," and added, "Ahead of the 22nd National Assembly election, we strongly demand that the state take responsibility for expanding public hospitals and resolving the public interest deficits of public hospitals."

Woo Seok-gyun, operating committee member of the Health and Medical Organizations Alliance, raised his voice, saying, "An increase of 2,000 personnel cannot solve the collapse of essential and regional healthcare," and emphasized, "The only way to solve the collapse of essential and regional healthcare is the establishment of a public medical school, the increase of the public regional doctor system, government responsibility for training public regional doctors, and the implementation of a mandatory service system."

In addition, they proposed the following pledges to each political party: △ doubling the number of public hospitals within five years △ sufficient deployment of public nursing personnel △ legislation to prohibit consignment operation of public hospitals △ establishment of a public healthcare control center.

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