Gukim Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly Member: "Residents Should Stay by Patients' Side, Government Must Communicate by Preparing Alternatives"

On the 28th, one day before the deadline set by the government for residents who left the medical field in protest of the expansion of medical school quotas to return, members of the People Power Party in the Gyeongnam Provincial Council urged the residents to return to the field quickly.

Among the 62 members of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council, 58 members from the People Power Party held a press conference at the council entrance and issued a statement on the matter.

The council members said, "It has already been six days since the health and medical disaster alert level was raised to the highest level, 'serious,' due to the collective resignation of residents entering its ninth day," adding, "Medical vacancies have worsened on site, with nurses frequently being mobilized instead of doctors, and delays in emergency room transfers have made it impossible to rule out the risk of death for critically ill patients."

They raised their voices, saying, "Striking over the expansion of medical school quotas or medical fees cannot be justified," and "We strongly urge specialists to return to the medical field as soon as possible."

Members of the Gyeongnam Provincial Council affiliated with the People Power Party are jointly issuing a statement urging resident doctors to return to the field.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

"They will remember the Hippocratic Oath they pledged before becoming doctors," emphasizing, "Nothing is more important than the lives of the people, and medical practice cannot be stopped for any reason."

They continued, "Patients at the brink of life and death and fellow medical staff are anxiously waiting," appealing, "Please return to the field and protect the precious lives of the people."

On this day, the council members also raised their voices toward the government.

"Respond according to laws and principles, but prepare concrete and feasible alternatives and communicate actively and wholeheartedly with the residents," they demanded.

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