Ultimatum D-1... Han Deok-su "Residents, please return by tomorrow to care for patients"

On the afternoon of the 28th, one day before the deadline for residents and medical students who engaged in collective action to return to work, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attended and spoke at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting related to the doctors' collective action held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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Prime Minister Han Duck-soo reiterated his request for resident doctors who collectively resigned in protest against the increase in medical school quotas to return by the 29th, stating, "This request for return is not intended as a punishment but rather to prevent punishment."

On the afternoon of the 28th, Prime Minister Han held a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office to respond to the doctors' collective action, saying, "As the residents' departure from hospitals prolongs, the inconvenience to patients is increasing, and especially the disappointment and concerns of critically ill patients and their families are deepening."

He emphasized, "For any reason, a doctor leaving a patient’s side is neither understandable nor acceptable," and added, "The government has announced that if the residents return to the hospital by tomorrow, the 29th, no responsibility will be imposed on them."

He continued, "Please listen to the appeals of the public and the government, and I earnestly request once again that you return to your original positions protecting patients' lives without further delay," explaining, "The government fully understands that residents have many concerns about their working environment and future."

Prime Minister Han reiterated that he would prioritize improving the treatment of residents as the top task in medical reform and normalization, stating that the situation where residents had to sacrifice their personal lives due to low pay and grueling schedules will be changed.

He also said that the government is making every effort to operate an emergency medical system to minimize public harm caused by the residents' collective action and medical service gaps.

He said, "We will support the budget through a separate contingency fund to ensure the smooth operation of the emergency medical system," adding, "We will support the hiring of substitute personnel due to doctor shortages and ensure that compensation for extended work hours and holiday medical services is not delayed."

In particular, he said, "We will significantly strengthen compensation through health insurance for the treatment of severely ill inpatients at tertiary general hospitals, and provide additional incentives when general hospitals treat patients transferred from tertiary general hospitals," adding, "Through this, we will establish an efficient medical delivery system where severely ill patients are hospitalized and operated on at tertiary general hospitals, and mild patients receive treatment at general hospitals."

To ensure smooth treatment of severe and emergency patients, substitute personnel will also be supported. The government plans to prioritize the deployment of 150 public health doctors and 20 military doctors who have received essential medical training next month to prevent delays in essential treatments such as surgeries, and is preparing for additional deployments depending on the situation.

Prime Minister Han explained, "Since yesterday, we have implemented a pilot project for medical support personnel, establishing legal protections for tasks performed by nurses, and we expect that the deployment of military doctors and public health doctors to medical sites will somewhat alleviate surgery delays and reduced emergency room operations."

He added, "Once again, I say to the resident doctors, please make sure to return by tomorrow and care for the patients who are anxiously waiting for you."

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