Gov't, doctors are alike in holding patients in tug-of-war

A doctor hands out pamphlets to visitors in front of Seoul National University Hospital, Monday, in a bid to gain public support for doctors' nationwide protest against the government's decision to increase admission quotas at medical schools. / Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

While doctors have so far been a major target of public criticism regarding their nationwide strike, the government is also being criticized for aggravating the situation by unilaterally pushing for medical workforce reform plans at a time when the country is struggling to fight the second wave of COVID-19 infections.

Some citizens have already fallen victim in the ongoing conflict between doctors and the government ― a patient in his 40s who failed to receive emergency treatment in Busan due to the doctors' walkout died last Thursday, while major general hospitals have reduced clinic hours and postponed some surgeries.

Some medical professors said the government should not be free from responsibility for the ongoing conflict that has brought about enormous inconvenience to citizens, as it has pushed ahead with its reform plans without sufficiently consulting the medical sector. The plans include increasing admission quotas at medical schools.

The government has maintained a tough stance even after tens of thousands of doctors across the country, including interns and resident doctors at general hospitals and practitioners at local clinics, staged a nationwide strike. It has reported 10 doctors to police for violating its return-to-work order, issued Aug. 26 in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Kim Boo-kyeong, a professor at Kosin University Gospel Hospital, called on the government to stop its “war” against doctors, so they can return to hospitals and offer proper medical services to citizens.

“Doctors did not start this war ― the government did. Thus, it is the government that can resolve the standoff,” he wrote in a petition posted to the website run by the presidential office. “Trainee doctors are now in their 20s. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is threatening to revoke their licenses, rather than trying to persuade these young doctors. This is not an appropriate decision when the nation needs medical manpower more than ever.”

He added the number of pneumonia patients as well as those suffering from cardiovascular diseases will increase in the fall and winter, warning that the county could face more serious medical disruptions if the government fails to resolve the conflict with doctors.

Choi Se-hoon, a professor at Asan Medical Center, also said, “Young doctors are in particular protesting against the government policies that will bring about a gloomy future for the medical sector, as under such policies, the number of doctors will increase rapidly, and doctors will be easily swayed by the government.”

In protest against the government's plans to increase admission quotas at medical schools, establish a new public medical school, extend national health insurance coverage to traditional remedies and introduce telemedicine services, the Korean Intern and Resident Association began the indefinite strike Aug. 21, with participation from thousands of trainee doctors working at the general hospitals.

The Korea Medical Association is also planning to stage the third nationwide doctors' strike, Sept. 7, calling the government's medical workforce reform plans “hasty and unilateral” decisions.

The associations demand the government reconsider its plans from “square one.”

In the meantime, some doctors began to raise skepticism regarding the strike, saying the prolonged walkout imperils the safety of patients.

An unidentified trainee doctor wrote on Facebook, saying that not many people would agree with the argument that doctors' approval was “essential” in the government's policy making.

“Through the walkout so far, doctors have sufficiently delivered a message to the government that their opinions should be considered important in policymaking,” the trainee doctor wrote. “Patients are waiting for us, and members of the public do not side with us. We need to stop the strike as soon as possible.”