Medical services disrupted as healthcare workers stage walkout
A medical staffer pushes a patient's bed, while signboards showing demands by the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union stand at a university hospital in Seoul, Thursday, as the union launched a nationwide strike. Yonhap
Surgeries canceled, patients advised to be discharged
By Jun Ji-hye
Some 45,000 nurses, caregivers and other members of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) across the country launched a general strike, Thursday, criticizing the government for failing to fulfill a 2021 agreement to hire more medical personnel and improve their working conditions.
The union vowed to exclude essential workers at emergency and operating rooms, intensive care units, delivery rooms and newborn units from its sit-in protest, in order to minimize confusion. But disruptions to medical services, including cancelations of surgeries, have already occurred at several hospitals, including the National Cancer Center.
Striking medical workers justified their action by claiming that the number of healthcare personnel should be expanded to guarantee the safety of patients. The last time the health and medical workers' union staged a nationwide strike was in 2004 calling for a five-day workweek.
The government slammed the union, saying that a strike that could cause damage to people's lives and health cannot be justified.
For now, the union released specific strike plans for two days until Friday, but is warning of an indefinite strike if the government “does not change its irresponsible attitude.”
Medical institutions participating in the strike include some 20 large hospitals in Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province, including Hanyang University Hospital and Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.
According to the union, some 45,000 members are participating in the ongoing walkout, which is more than four times larger than the number of workers who participated in the 2004 strike.
Members of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union call on the government to hire more medical personnel and expand public health services during its walkout in central Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Disruptions have already occurred at the National Cancer Center and Pusan National University Hospital, which canceled all surgeries scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
The National Cancer Center has not accepted new patients this week, while Pusan National University Hospital has discharged or transferred patients.
“We will make efforts to normalize our services at the earliest possible date,” the National Cancer Center said on its website.
Chungnam National University Hospital in Daejeon also postponed medical consultations and surgeries scheduled for Thursday and Friday and advised patients with mild symptoms to be discharged.
According to the union, the nationwide strike was prompted by the government's failure to deliver on its promises made in September of 2021 to reduce the number of patients per nurse, expand public health services and infrastructure and improve the working conditions of healthcare workers.
The government made such promises to appease the union that threatened a general strike amid increasing levels of fatigue among healthcare workers due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic at the time.
“The government has been sitting on its hands and postponed the implementation of policies to address manpower shortages and a crisis of essential and public health services,” the union said in a statement.
Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyu-hong warned of “firm responses in accordance with laws and principles” in case the strike causes any damage to people's health.
“The government will work to improve the working environment for nurses and other healthcare workers,” Cho said on Thursday morning after a meeting with the ruling People Power Party. “We urge the union to stop its strike and return to their patients.”