Senior doctors at Seoul’s Asan Medical Center are limiting their care of patients in a show of solidarity to doctors-in-training who walked out of hospitals earlier this year in protest of government plans to boost medical school seats.
Cha Yun-kyung reports.
At an emergency committee meeting of professors of medicine at the University of Ulsan, affiliated with the Asan Medical Center, they said that they will take “intensive measures to ensure that there is no disruption in the treatment of critical illnesses and emergency care” but begin reducing non-essential treatments and surgeries instead of going on a full-scale strike.
On the first day of readjusted medical treatment, the emergency committee predicted that major surgical operations would drop by 29 percent compared to last week.
Hospital management expects there will be no massive disruption since there are about 10-thousand outpatient appointments as usual.
In response, a group of 92 patients’ organizations staged a rally in central Seoul on Thursday, calling for doctors to end their ongoing walkout, that has disrupted public health services and caused fear among patients.
On the same day, Lee Sang-min, the minister of interior and safety, vowed measures to minimize any negative impacts on returning trainee doctors, reiterating that the government will support them.
Minister Lee once again explained the necessity of medical reform and urged trainee doctors to return to work. Lee also asked residents to engage in dialogue to actively explain their demands.
The government will announce measures for trainee doctors who have not returned to work in the near future.
Cha Yun-kyung, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=272908
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