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Hopes rise for talks between government, doctors
Patients wait to see doctors at Seoul National University Hospital, Monday. Yonhap
By Jun Ji-hye
Lack of enthusiasm among trainee doctors, medical students hinders potential breakthrough
Anticipation is rising for potential talks between the government and doctors to resolve their prolonged standoff regarding the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's policy to increase the annual medical school admissions quota.
Such hopes come as the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the country's largest coalition of doctors, established a special committee last Thursday, encompassing representatives of medical professors, trainee doctors, regional medical groups as well as medical school students, to fine-tune opinions among them and take a unified stance.
Lim Hyun-taek, the hawkish head of the KMA and one of the strongest opponents of the government's medical school quota hike policy, has stepped back from the committee, leading to hopes that the group could take a gentler approach compared to the KMA's previous moves.
The KMA, which previously threatened to begin an indefinite strike beginning on Thursday, took a step back on Monday, saying it will halt the plan and discuss it again at a committee meeting scheduled for Saturday.
In addition, medical professors at Seoul National University and its affiliated hospitals decided Friday to end an indefinite walkout, which began on June 17, saying they could not put patients at risk any longer. This is expected to affect decisions to be made by professors at other hospitals.
Public pressure is also mounting to resolve the prolonged government-doctor standoff. An association of patients’ groups is organizing a protest in Seoul on July 4, with approximately 1,000 people expected to gather to urge both sides to find solutions to mitigate disruptions in the health care system and prevent future occurrences.
The standoff began in late February when a majority of junior doctors walked off their jobs in protest against the government's policy. Medical professors and students have joined the collective action in various forms in support of them.
However, some medical professors and medical groups are still planning to delay treatments and surgeries in protest, raising concerns that patients' distress could worsen if representatives of the government and doctors fail to find a breakthrough at the earliest possible date.
Medical professionals are seen at Seoul National University Hospital, Monday. Yonhap
After its inaugural meeting last Saturday, the KMA's special committee said it "welcomes the government's position that it can hold a dialogue without putting a limit in formation or agenda."
In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We hope the representatives come to the dialogue table without imposing any conditions and participate in discussions over pending medical issues."
According to sources, the two sides are conducting negotiations under the table to facilitate their official talks and set an agenda.
Nevertheless, concerns remain as the two sides hold different views over whether the medical school quota hike for 2025 would be included in their agenda.
The committee said such an issue should be discussed again, while the ministry drew the line, saying that reconsidering the quota increase from the beginning is not an option, as all administrative procedures for adding approximately 1,500 new medical students were finalized back in May. This marks the first such increase in 27 years.
Lukewarm attitudes by trainee doctors and medical students over the participation in the committee is another negative factor for the potential breakthrough, as their representatives did not attend the first meeting of the committee, expressing their skepticism over the government's sincerity in pushing to reform the medical sector.
As part of its medical sector reform initiatives, the government is seeking to increase medical school admissions by about 2,000 annually for five years starting in 2025.