Trainee doctors remain skeptical of Yoon’s dialog offer; counter-propose a post-election meet

Following his public speech on Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol has proposed a direct dialogue with striking interns and residents. However, trainee doctors remain skeptical, worrying that the meeting would be a place of persuasion and appeasement instead of dialogue.

A presidential spokesperson said Tuesday that Yoon wants to meet with junior doctors and hear their stories. "The President is willing to talk with them regardless of time, place, and topic," the spokesperson said.

The medical community, including the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Medical Professors Association of Korea (MPAK), welcomed the announcement. However, they emphasized that the government needs to show sincerity by, for instance, stopping the allocation of medical school enrollment quotas for the dialogue to take place.

However, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) has remained silent.

According to sources at the trainee doctors group, a prevalent atmosphere among resigned trainee doctors is that the presidential office might have proposed the dialogue for political purposes in the run-up to the parliamentary elections slated for April 10. 

"Judging from the attitude of the government and the president so far, I don't think they are trying to have a genuine dialog at all," said a trainee doctor who practiced at a hospital in Seoul. "They are just trying to take a photo for the election. Responding to such a superficial dialogue would be disadvantageous for junior doctors."

Another trainee doctor who interned at a hospital in the Chungcheong region said, "We trainee doctors have no representation, and I think this proposal is not for genuine dialogue but for political purposes or appeasement. No trainee doctors are so stupid as to be used for President Yoon's 'political show.’ Even if there are some such junior doctors, they are highly likely to be those who toe the government’s line.”

A third trainee doctor who worked at a training hospital in the Gyeongbuk region also said, "I think the president offered the conversation to persuade and conciliate junior doctors. I don't think their attitude has changed. If that's the case, we should ask them to meet with us to discuss it again from the ground up. Their offer for unconditional talk is just to persuade us to return to hospitals."

The trainee doctors maintain that the seven demands made by KIRA should be fulfilled for the dialogue to begin.

On Feb. 20, KIRA announced the demands in a statement after an emergency extraordinary assembly.

The seven demands are:

● Withdraw the essential healthcare policy package and the plan to increase the number of medical students by 2,000.

● Establish an organization to estimate the supply and demand of doctors scientifically.

● Expand the recruitment of specialists in training hospitals.

● Ease the legal burden for force majeure medical accidents.

● Improve the training environment for doctors.

● Withdraw unjust orders against doctors.

● Abolish Article 59 of the Medical Service Act and comply with the Constitution and the International Labor Organization's (ILO) prohibition on forced labor.

"KIRA has officially presented the terms of the dialogue," the trainee doctor in Seoul said. "They already know our demands, but they are not willing to move even one step forward. The dialog offer will only lead to negative consequences for trainee doctors."

The trainee doctor, who is based in Chungcheong province, said, "We agree that dialogue will begin only when the seven demands of KIRA are met."

Many trainee doctors also believed the timing of the proposed dialog was inappropriate. Some said that if a dialog is to be held, it should be held after the parliamentary polls on April 10 to avoid being used for political purposes.

"It's also too early for professors to come forward and start a dialog. Even if they do, it should be after the general election. I am opposed to (the dialog with trainee doctors) being used for political purposes," the Seoul-based trainee doctor said.

The trainee doctor in the Chungcheong area said, "Right now, several doctors are being investigated by the police for posting articles on the Medstaff website for physicians. It's a contradiction that they are talking about dialog on the surface, but under the surface, they are suppressing the freedom of expression."

The Gyeongsang area trainee doctor also said, "There is no reason to get hasty with the government's request for dialog. We trainee doctors also have a strong desire to return. However, we will not go back as it is. We did our best in a difficult environment, but the government threw a stone into a calm pond. We resigned out of frustration and loss of hope in a difficult situation, so we hope to return after our demands are reflected and the situation improves."