KMA: "They Treat Residents Like Slaves... Must Apologize for Inhumane Violence Against Residents"

"Remaining Hospital Professors Also Nearing Limit"
"Must Apologize for Inhumane Violence Against Residents"

The medical community demanded that the government immediately apologize for its anti-human rights violence, emphasizing that even resigned residents are citizens of the Republic of Korea.

The Korean Medical Association Emergency Committee announced this on the 11th at 2 p.m. at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Joo Su-ho, the KMA Emergency Committee's Public Relations Chair, stated, "The government does not seem to intend to resolve the voluntary resignations of residents and the leave of absence and class boycotts by medical students caused by the reckless policy implementation. Training hospitals have no choice but to reduce medical services, facing a management crisis, and some are even recommending unpaid leave for staff to overcome the crisis."

He continued, "Many professors remain at hospitals caring for patients while voicing condemnation of the government's reckless policy enforcement. However, even professors are now approaching their limits," adding, "Many professors have already submitted their resignations, and this wave of resignations does not seem to stop anytime soon."

He also criticized the PA (Physician Assistant) nurse policy proposed by the government as an alternative to the medical service gap. He said, "If they say they will exempt (nurses) from legal responsibility in case of medical accidents, this denies the separation of powers, insults the judiciary, and is an unjust measure infringing on the rights of patients, the victims of accidents, which will be condemned by the public. Currently, doctors face criminal punishment for slight delays in intubation and bear multi-million won compensation liabilities for issues in medical record documentation during CPR. Under such circumstances, it is questionable which nurse would undertake the dangerous tasks traditionally performed by doctors."

Concerns were also raised about the plan to dispatch public health doctors and military medical officers. Chair Joo pointed out, "The government did not consider at all the problems that could arise from the lack of coordination when public health doctors and military medical officers, who were working in completely different places, are dispatched. The confusion in the medical field is obvious," adding, "It is absurd to think that general practitioners dispatched to various departments can fulfill the roles of residents."

Claims were made that the government's actions are contradictory. He said, "While claiming to create specialist-centered hospitals, they are institutionalizing PAs to eliminate the need to employ specialists. Also, while urging residents to return, they are attempting to suspend the licenses of thousands of residents, preventing their return permanently, which is incomprehensible," urging, "If the government has principles, it should stick to one course of action."

Furthermore, Chair Joo stated, "Resigned residents are citizens of the Republic of Korea and naturally have the right to have their human rights respected. However, the government is threatening to punish residents as if they were slaves and is committing anti-human rights violence by economically isolating them," demanding, "We call on the government to stop the anti-human rights violence against residents and to immediately apologize."

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