The government said Thursday that canceling an outpatient appointment without obtaining the patient's consent is tantamount to “rejection of care.” Even if consent is obtained, appointment cancellation without deciding on the next treatment schedule is also a rejection of care.

However, the government said it is not considering administrative penalties for professors participating in the collective lease of absence.

The government made these and other points at a regular Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters briefing.

The government emphasized that Article 15 of the Medical Service Act stipulates that a medical practitioner or medical institution owner cannot refuse a request for medical treatment without a justifiable reason and specifies penalties for violating it.

It added that unilaterally canceling a medical appointment for an already scheduled patient without consent and without changing the concrete treatment plan constitutes a denial of care.

Many professors at university hospitals are now participating in closures and canceling outpatient appointments, which constitutes a denial of care if the patient does not consent or, even if the patient does consent, physicians do not schedule another outpatient appointment.

However, the government said it has no plans to issue an executive order against medical professors participating in the leave.

"We understand that it will not be a collective closure, but some of the hardline professors are participating in the closure. Doctors decided to take a leave of absence before. Still, many professors provided healthcare services then, said Jun Byung-wang, head of the Healthcare Policy Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. "Even if they take a leave of absence this time, some doctors will stick to intensive care units and emergency rooms, and most professors will stay by the side of patients, so we have no immediate plans to take action.”

Jun added that if the furlough period is prolonged, emergency care may be disrupted, so it is necessary to supplement and strengthen emergency care measures. The government will take additional measures to resolve the obstacles that strain the emergency care system.

He also said that if a doctor orders a nurse to reschedule a medical appointment as part of the mass closure, but a nurse or other staff member refuses to do so and the patient does not receive proper treatment, the blame should be placed on the hospital's bylaws.

"In each hospital, the division of labor will dictate who should do what. We have heard that the hospital director has instructed nurses ‘not to reschedule surgeries or medical appointments in some hospitals,’” he said. "In such cases, medical institutions will determine who is to blame."

Jun also clarified the government’s position on the collective leave of absence scheduled for next Tuesday by the Korean Medical Association (KMA).

"On that day, we will check all clinic-level medical institutions (whether they will be closed) in the morning and the afternoon," Jun said. "If they are closed, they must report it in advance by today (June 13). Even if it's a full-day or a half-day closure, they must report it to the local government."

Jun continued, "Because it will closures by neighborhood clinics, local governments are preparing countermeasures by, for instance, extending the working hours of public healthcare institutions at night and activating non-face-to-face medical treatment. Local governments will respond according to the rate of closures."