“The ruling and opposition parties are ready… The key is the participation of the medical community.”
“If ‘2000 people’ is wrong, we need to bring a new answer to discuss”
“Military doctors, establish guidelines and assign background care”
The Office of the President stated on the 11th regarding the timing of the launch of the ‘Ruling and Opposition Party Consultative Body’, “Some groups in the medical community have expressed their intention to participate,” and “It would be great if a dramatic event could be held before Chuseok, but it ultimately depends on the response of the medical community.”
Jang Sang-yoon, senior secretary to the president for social affairs, appeared on Yonhap News TV’s “News Watch” on the same day and said, “Last Friday (the 6th), a bipartisan consultative body was proposed, so the ruling and opposition parties are fully prepared. The key is for the medical community to join in.”
Senior Secretary to the President Jang Sa-su said, “The medical community is very diverse, including hospital executives, professors, public servants, private practitioners, residents, and medical students, and there are many groups and institutions,” and “We are contacting each of them while discussing them with the party, and some groups have expressed their intention to participate.”
He said that the best goal is for the ruling and opposition parties to launch a consultative body dramatically before the Chuseok holidays. “We are working hard and cooperating to achieve that. Whether that happens or not ultimately depends on the response of the medical community.”
When asked whether the government’s decision to participate in the ruling and opposition party consultative body signifies a change in its position regarding the 2,000-seat increase in medical school enrollment, he responded, “There has actually been no change in the government’s position,” and “From the beginning, after announcing the medical school enrollment numbers, we have consistently said, ‘Let’s discuss alternatives.'”
Chief Jang simply emphasized that it should be a ‘discussion on alternatives’ rather than a ‘return to the starting point’.
He said, “The number of 2,000 is the result of our best efforts to create scientific evidence and consult with the medical community. If this answer is wrong, we need to come up with a new answer to discuss it. We can’t just say, ‘Return it to square one,’ or ‘Pretend it never happened.'”
Chief Jang said about the controversy over the “blacklist of emergency room doctors,” “If medical staff are influenced and leave the field or treatment is hindered, it will harm the public.” He added, “Since the beginning of the collective action, such incidents have occurred frequently, and we have continued to report them to the police and request investigations to take strict measures, and we will continue to do so in the future.”
Regarding the cases of some military doctors dispatched to emergency medical sites returning to their units, he said, “We are working on guidelines for dividing up work between medical institutions and military doctors in advance, and even if it is not an emergency room, they can be of great help if they go to the background care area, so we are relieving their burden by assigning them there.”
Regarding the emergency medical situation, he said, “It is difficult. It is true that the public, who are especially vulnerable when they suddenly fall ill, feel great anxiety,” but added, “I do not believe that the medical system is collapsing or paralyzed. The government is checking the situation on the ground every day with a sense of urgency and devising necessary measures and responding.”
President Yoon Seok-yeol said, “The Chuseok holiday is the most important. Please make every effort to actively invest available resources so that emergency rooms can operate normally and the public can feel reassured,” Jang said. “Let’s drastically strengthen support for essential medical staff in emergency, childbirth, pediatric, and critical care, and quickly pass a bill to reduce legal risks so that there is no anxiety or concern on site. Let’s push for that quickly,” he added.
[서울=뉴시스]
2024-09-12 01:13:27