Lee Han-kyung (L), the interior ministry’s chief disaster management official, speaks during a government meeting in the central city of Sejong on March 7, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — The government will swiftly implement emergency measures to alleviate public inconveniences caused by the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors protesting the government’s decision to increase the medical school admission quota, an official said Thursday.
Lee Han-kyung, the interior ministry’s chief disaster management official, made the remark during a daily response meeting as medical service disruptions have deepened with intern and resident doctors having stayed off their duties at general hospitals for the 17th day.
“Emergency medical treatment measures will be carried out in a speedy manner to prevent inconvenience and anxieties from growing due to the prolongation of the trainee doctors’ walkout,” Lee said during a government meeting in the central administrative city of Sejong.
“The government will … complete the medical reform without wavering,” he said.
As part of the measures, the 128.5 billion-won (US$96.7 million) reserve funds approved by the Cabinet the previous day for emergency treatment will be utilized to secure medical staff to fill the vacancies of striking trainee doctors, Lee noted.
In addition, regional governments’ reserve funds for emergency disasters will also be pumped in to finance medical workforces at public hospitals, which extended service hours in the aftermath of the walkout.
As part of the reform plan, the government will also push to dramatically increase financial reimbursements from the national health care insurance to hospitals conducting emergency and sophisticated surgeries, and enact a law to reduce doctors’ burden of facing medical suits from patients.
Lee also urged protesting trainee doctors to “return to hospitals to be next to ailing patients.”
(Yonhap)
