On the afternoon of the 2nd, a urgent meeting of the 42nd president of the Association of Physicians in the Yongsan-gu, Seoul, was held privately at the Korean Medical Association. The Korean Medical Association, which has been locked in a confrontation with the government over medical school enrollment quotas, will decide on whether to have a doctor’s general strike and other collective actions through a vote by all members.
The KMA held an urgent meeting of the 42nd president of the provincial doctors at the KMA building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. on the 2nd. Although the meeting was held privately, it is reported that they discussed follow-up measures such as a doctor’s general strike.
Starting from the 4th to the 7th, the KMA plans to conduct an online vote among nationwide members on whether to take collective leave, the scale of the leave, and the dates of the leave. They will hold a meeting of representatives on the 9th to decide on detailed plans.
On the 30th of last month, when the government announced the implementation plan for the entrance exam with 1497 additional medical school enrollments, effectively finalizing the process of increasing medical school capacities, the medical community responded with nationwide candlelight vigils.
On the same day, Chairman Lim Hyun-taek declared at a national candlelight vigil held in Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, and Jeonju stating, “Starting in June, we will begin a major fight against medical corruption.” He called for a substantial fight involving general practitioners, students, professors, as well as clinic and duty doctors, but the participation rate in the strike is expected to be low.
Even when entering a general strike with medical school enrollment quotas in 2020, the participation rate for collective leave was only in the 10% range. This is because if clinic doctors take leave, it immediately leads to a decrease in revenue. There are also concerns that doctors who do not conduct medical practices may face license suspension considering the government’s warning of administrative penalties to non-returning specialized doctors.
Meanwhile, the government maintains its stance that the possibility of collective leave by the medical community ‘has no meaning.’ During a briefing by Jeon Byeong-wang, head of the Health Insurance Policy Office of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, at the central disaster and safety headquarters for the medical community group action on the 31st of last month, he stated, “The admission capacity for medical school in 2025 is already confirmed,” and said, “Collective actions that inconvenience the public such as collective leave related to this have no meaning.”