2024-03-25 21:23:06
Professors at medical schools across the country, including Seoul National University College of Medicine, are determined to hold the government accountable if damage occurs to residents and medical students, and are willing to submit resignation letters or file lawsuits. The government’s position is to △increase the number of people by 2,000 people and △withdraw the essential medical policy package and discuss it again, but the government’s plan to increase the number of people by 2,000 people is firm and it is not easy to discuss it again.
The Emergency Response Committee of the Seoul National University Medical School Faculty Council held a general meeting on the 11th and agreed to submit a voluntary resignation from the 18th if the government does not come up with a reasonable plan to resolve the situation. However, the medical staff decided to do their best to treat emergency and critically ill patients.
In a phone interview with MBC Radio’s ‘Kim Jong-bae’s Focus’ on the morning of the 12th, Bang Jae-seung, chairman of the Seoul National University Medical School Faculty Association, said, “Wouldn’t the way to reverse the crisis be for the government and medical groups to sit down at the negotiating table before 18 days?” It was predicted that even the Big 5 hospitals could go bankrupt within a few months.
He implied that the government needed to withdraw the increase in medical schools by 2,000 students. According to the results of a survey released by the emergency committee the day before, 99% of respondents answered that ‘the decision to increase the number of personnel by 2,000 has no scientific basis.’ He also claimed that there are many loopholes in the essential medical policy package and that he does not expect it to be implemented in practice.
In particular, he said, “The number of doctors can be increased without setting a limit. Let’s agree to form a dialogue consultative body. If the government and the Medical Association agree on this, medical students and residents can return to hospitals and normal treatment can be provided, so I think there will be less damage to the public.” Diagnosed.
There are five medical schools that have Big Five hospitals as teaching hospitals: Seoul National University, Yonsei University (Severance), Ulsan University (Asan), Catholic University (St. Mary), and Sungkyunkwan University (Samsung). Previously, the Emergency Committee of the University of Ulsan Medical School Faculty Association held a meeting on the 7th and agreed to submit a voluntary resignation letter. However, specific plans and schedules will be announced later.
The Yonsei University College of Medicine Faculty Association elected Professor Ahn Seok-gyun of the Department of Psychiatry at Severance Hospital as the chair of the emergency committee through a vote the morning before. The Emergency Committee plans to discuss whether to take collective action when administrative measures against medical residents become a reality.
The Sungkyunkwan University Medical School Faculty Council will discuss the current situation in an online meeting at 6 p.m. on this day, and the Catholic University of Korea Medical School Faculty Council will also discuss whether to take collective action through a meeting on the 14th. Professors from medical schools across the country, including Ajou University, Wonkwang University, Yeungnam University, and Chungbuk National University, form the emergency committee.
Emergency committee chairman Bang said that faculty cooperative emergency committees have been established in a total of 14 medical schools across the country. Future plans will be discussed and a gradual agreement will be reached through an online meeting this evening. He confessed, “Personally, there are probably many professors who are afraid of administrative actions and orders. I wonder if they would have done it this way.”
The National Association of Medical School Professors, of which 33 medical schools with faculty councils among 40 medical schools are participating, also issued a statement on this day, saying, “If damage occurs to residents and students, we will firmly hold the government responsible for causing the current situation.” “We will take action to solve the problem,” he said.
They appealed that “the government must engage in unconditional dialogue,” and opposed the 2,000-person increase as it is an unscientific and irrational policy. They also stated that they would take action when repeating medical school students and taking judicial action against medical residents. Resignation and cancellation of concurrent positions are mentioned as methods of action.
In addition, on the 5th, the Korean Medical Association, Park Dan, emergency response committee chairman of the Korean Resident Association (Daejeon Association), representatives of residents and medical school students and professors, and representatives of test takers filed a motion with the Seoul Administrative Court against Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong and Minister of Education Joo-ho Lee to request an increase in the number of students for the 2025 school year. A suit for cancellation was filed and an application for a temporary injunction to suspend execution was also submitted.
In response to this, Park Min-soo, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said in a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the same day, “We are talking (with professors) through various routes and channels. We have a conversation plan in place, and we will explain as it progresses.” “We have a firm intention to increase the number of personnel by 2,000. It is a task that is difficult to delay,” he said.
Regarding whether to issue maintenance orders for professors’ collective resignation like residents, Vice Minister Park said, “Professors are basically medical professionals, so various orders based on the Medical Service Act are possible regarding leaving the medical field.” He added, “We are doing it now, we are not doing it. “It is difficult to say that we will do it, and the government is reviewing it,” he said.
A professor at a university hospital said, “It is becoming an unanswerable problem. In the eyes of the public, there will come a situation in which neither side will want to take sides.” He added, “The medical staff remaining in the hospital are very exhausted and their fatigue is considerable. It is time for both parties to show room for negotiation. “He said.
Reporter Kim Jeong-hyeon Photo News 1
.
2024-03-25 21:23:06