Government: "No Immediate Consideration of 'Work Commencement Order or Medical Service Maintenance Order' for Medical School Professors' Strike"

Medical Sector Strike on the 18th, "Unilateral Appointment Cancellations Are Refusals of Treatment... Penalties for Violations"
"Treatment Orders" and "Strike Report Orders" Issued to Over 36,000 Medical Institutions Nationwide
No Immediate Administrative Orders Planned for Medical Professors
"No Disruption to Treatment Previously... Most Professors Expected to Stay by Patients' Side"

The government announced that it will respond strictly to the collective strike by the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and medical school professors scheduled for the 18th, stating that "unilateral cancellation of medical appointments without patient consent constitutes 'refusal of treatment'." Medical treatment orders and strike reporting orders have been issued to approximately 36,000 medical institutions nationwide. However, regarding medical school professors who have consecutively declared indefinite strikes, the government stated, "Since the hospital itself is not on strike, even if some medical school professors go on strike, immediate work commencement orders or treatment maintenance orders will not be issued."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Jeon Byeong-wang, Director of the Health and Medical Policy Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, held a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters regarding the doctors' collective action, announcing, "The government prioritizes the lives and health of the people, firmly maintains the emergency medical system, and will respond strictly to illegal acts."

According to the medical community, the KMA has announced a collective strike and a general rally on the 18th, and the National Council of Medical School Professors, which includes 40 medical schools, has expressed its intention to actively participate.

On this day, the government, in cooperation with local governments, issued medical treatment orders and strike reporting orders to approximately 36,000 medical institutions nationwide. The scope of the Damage Report Support Center, which receives reports of damages caused by the collective strike, will be expanded to include clinics.

Director Jeon stated, "Article 15 of the Medical Service Act stipulates that 'medical personnel or medical institution operators must not refuse treatment requests without justifiable reasons,' and penalties are specified for violations. Unilaterally canceling medical appointments for patients who have already made reservations without the patient's consent and without a specific treatment plan change may constitute refusal of treatment."

Medical institutions planning to strike on the 18th must report to the government by today. Director Jeon said, "After the medical treatment order, work commencement orders will be issued to all clinic-level medical institutions on the 18th, and confirmations will be made both in the morning and afternoon. If a strike is unavoidable on that day, institutions can report to the local government and provide prior explanations."

Alongside the KMA's full strike, the wave of strikes by medical school professors is also spreading. The Emergency Response Committee of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital decided to begin an indefinite collective strike from the 17th, and Yonsei University College of Medicine and Hospital from the 27th.

The government stated that while it considers the strikes by medical school professors as refusal of treatment, administrative orders against them are not currently under review.

Director Jeon said, "The hospital is not on a collective strike; I understand that only some of the hardline professors are participating. Such strike decisions have been made before, but many professors actually continued treatment. We expect that most will stay by the patients this time as well, so there are currently no plans to take action on this matter."

When asked whether 'violations of the Medical Service Act' could be applied to medical school professors who have decided on collective or indefinite strikes on the 18th, he replied, "Professors are fundamentally prohibited from collective actions regardless of the Medical Service Act. Since the hospital itself is not on strike, even if some university professors or clinical professors strike, various work commencement orders or treatment maintenance orders will not be issued." He added, "This is not a hospital-wide decision but a decision by some emergency committees, and participation is not expected to be very high. Therefore, no various measures are being considered at this time." However, he explained that if patients are unable to receive timely surgery or their condition worsens, measures will be taken to prevent such situations.

Regarding the 'treatment disruption' criteria cited by the government as the basis for deferring administrative sanctions against medical school professors, he said, "The government continuously monitors the treatment status of all general hospitals daily, and changes in this area are reported daily in statistics, especially indicators from intensive care units and emergency rooms. We will review these aspects and take necessary measures."

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