The Alliance of National University Hospital Labor Unions in South Korea raised alarm on October 16 over the rapidly deteriorating financial health of the country’s public university hospitals. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) – The Alliance of National University Hospital Labor Unions in South Korea raised alarm on October 16 over the rapidly deteriorating financial health of the country’s public university hospitals.
The coalition reported that in the first half of this year alone, 16 national university hospitals have already accumulated a total debt of 1.35 trillion won, surpassing the 1.32 trillion won borrowed throughout the entirety of last year.
The alliance, a unified body representing 13 labor unions from national university hospitals affiliated with the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union and the Medical Solidarity Division of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union, is calling for urgent collaboration between labor and management to address this severe deficit.
“The financial crisis facing national university hospitals in the wake of the healthcare turmoil is dire,” a spokesperson for the alliance stated.
“Hospital workers are now grappling with the prospect of unpaid leave, forced use of annual leave, and even delayed wage payments.”
The union coalition expressed deep concern about the government’s healthcare reform plans, noting a glaring absence of support measures to bolster the public service role of national university hospitals.
“We seriously doubt whether the reform’s objectives can be achieved without addressing this critical aspect,” the spokesperson added.
While emphasizing the need for labor-management cooperation to ensure the smooth implementation of the government’s policy to enhance national university hospitals’ capabilities, the alliance criticized the National University Hospital Association for its lukewarm response to dialogue initiatives.
“Since June, we have made multiple requests to the National University Hospital Association for labor-management discussions to explore ways to overcome the financial crisis, strengthen public healthcare, and focus on the role of public medical institutions,” the alliance reported.
“However, these overtures have been consistently rejected.”
The union coalition stressed the importance of unified efforts between labor and management to navigate the severe financial downturn and reinforce the hospitals’ public service mission.
“The National University Hospital Association must take proactive steps to establish national university hospitals as cornerstones of a comprehensive regional healthcare system,” the alliance urged.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
