KMA Emergency Committee: "Government's 'Communication' Claim Is a Lie"... Decision on Protest Plan on 17th

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) Emergency Response Committee raised their voices, stating that the government's claim of communication is false and vowed to block the expansion of medical school quotas. Specific strategies for the struggle will be discussed and decided at the first meeting on the 17th.

Kim Taek-woo, Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Medical Association, is speaking at the "Press Conference of the Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Medical Association to Stop the Government's Unilateral Increase of Medical School Quotas" held at the Korean Medical Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, at 2 p.m. on the 14th.
Photo by Choi Tae-won peaceful1@

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On the 14th at 2 p.m., the KMA Emergency Response Committee held a press conference titled "Press Conference by the Chairman of the Korean Medical Association Emergency Response Committee to Stop the Government's Unilateral Increase of Medical School Quotas" at the KMA Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Kim Taek-woo, chairman of the KMA Emergency Response Committee, said in the press statement, "We will definitely block the government's unreasonable push to increase medical school quotas," adding, "We will become a focal point that responds unitedly without yielding to any intimidation, adversity, or trials." He further stated, "We plan to hold the first Emergency Response Committee meeting on the 17th to discuss and decide on future struggle plans and roadmaps."

The KMA Emergency Response Committee was formed after former KMA president Lee Pil-soo expressed his intention to resign on the 6th following the government's announcement to expand medical school quotas by 2,000. The KMA General Assembly convened the next day to establish the Emergency Response Committee and elected Kim Taek-woo, president of the Gangwon Medical Association, as chairman. The committee consists of subcommittees including the Struggle Committee, Organizational Strengthening Committee, External Cooperation Committee, Media and Public Relations Committee, as well as a Legal Support Team and a Comprehensive Administrative Support Team. The committee plans to complete its member composition by the 16th.

In particular, the Emergency Response Committee emphasized that the government's announcement to expand medical school quotas was made without communication with the medical community. They stated, "The government claims there were over 100 meetings with the medical community, but they only listened and left. Is that a meeting?" They added, "There was no discussion about the number of doctors in the Medical Issues Council meetings. So why is the government lying? The government should not say that there was consultation." They raised their voices. They continued, "There was no response to questions about how the increased number would be attracted to essential medical fields. This process was repeated 27 times," and "Proposals for final debates and TV debates were not accepted at all. We can only question whether there was any sincerity in communication."

There was also a rebuttal to the government's claim that medical school expansion is necessary due to a shortage of doctors. Chairman Kim said, "The government says that the number of doctors per 1,000 people in our country is lower than the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), so there is a shortage of doctors, but we do not see any phenomena that appear when there is an actual shortage of doctors," adding, "In the past 23 years, the population under 15 years old has decreased by 3.5 million, and pediatricians have increased by 2,500. The disruption in pediatric care is due to reasons other than a shortage of doctors."

He also added, "Currently, the quota of 40 medical schools is 3,000, but increasing it by 2,000 at once is equivalent to creating 24 new medical schools," and "The quality of education will decline, and it will become a black hole that absorbs all talents in the Republic of Korea."

Meanwhile, preparations for collective action by residents are also progressing rapidly. A committee official told reporters after the press conference, "I heard that all residents training at one of the large hospitals in Seoul have submitted their resignation letters."

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