Oh Se-hoon "Stagnant Water Always Rots"... Criticism of Doctors' Collective Action

"May Feel Like Shrinking Rice Bowls, But It's a Short-Sighted View"
"The Future of Medicine Spreads Out Like a Vast Ocean"

On the 29th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon compared the collective action of doctors to medieval European guilds, criticizing that "stagnant water inevitably rots." This is interpreted as pointing out that the Korea Medical Association, a professional organization in the medical field, is shaking the national medical supply and demand structure based on the departure of residents.

Mayor Oh posted on Facebook on the morning of the day, which was the deadline for residents to return as notified by the government, with the title "Guild or Age of Exploration," stating, "Medieval European (handicraft) guilds initially played a positive role. However, they gradually became privileged and refused change," adding, "They monopolized production and sales, controlling even the number of workers and trainees, labor hours, and sales prices."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Mayor Oh further explained, "The economy evolved and developed into capitalism through the Age of Exploration, but the guilds clung to vested interests and eventually disappeared." He added, "The ongoing residents' strike may superficially seem to have been triggered by the increase in medical school quotas, but it is part of a social structural change," and "While the increase in medical school quotas may feel like a reduction of one's share, this is a narrow view."

He also presented an analysis that although the overall population is decreasing, the elderly population is increasing in the ultra-aged society, so medical demand will rather expand. Mayor Oh explained, "The future of medicine is as vast as the open sea, with the explosively growing bio-industry, healthcare, advanced medical devices, and overseas markets."

Meanwhile, Seoul City is expanding hospitals and clinics available for night and holiday treatment due to the prolonged collective action of medical staff. This is a measure to minimize citizens' inconvenience caused by medical gaps, and the city plans to secure additional hospitals available for night and holiday treatment considering the situation. The city is also accelerating the emergency recruitment of medical staff. Seoul City has allocated 2.6 billion won from the disaster management fund it operates to immediately support the recruitment of medical staff at Seoul Medical Center, Boramae Hospital, and Eunpyeong Hospital, where there are resident shortages. The goal is to supplement a total of 45 medical personnel at these hospitals. Seoul City plans to support the budget in three installments over three months depending on the trend of collective action in the medical community.

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