Korean patients seek WHO intervention amid healthcare standoff

As the healthcare void continues due to a standoff between the government and the medical community over the increasing number of medical students, a patient group said it would ask the World Health Organization (WHO) to intervene in the ongoing medical crisis in Korea.

The Korea Severe Disease Association (KDSA) said so in a statement issued on Sunday, World Health Day.

"The confrontation between the government and the medical community continues to threaten the lives of seriously ill patients," the association said, "Yet the government and the medical community are blaming each other on every issue and incident. The medical community is bent on clamping down on possible deserters while the government is maintaining a hardline stance, which could lead to a prolonged standoff."

The association noted that the WHO Charter defines true health as a healthy social state in addition to mental and physical well-being. However, it added that the Republic of Korea has been in a medical war zone for two months now, where even the most seriously ill are denied basic care and relief.

“The social healthcare system has collapsed, and patients have been turned into 'medical refugees,'" the association said.

Against this backdrop, the patient group requested that the WHO officially deal with the crisis. The organization also urged the government to devise a plan to bring back trainee doctors who have resigned instead of sticking to its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000.

"We will request the WHO to officially address the medical crisis in Korea at the international level," the association said. "We will ask the WHO to examine whether the unyielding attitude of the government and the medical community is causing patients to stop receiving treatment, endangering their lives and health, and to address whether the attitude of both organizations is justified."

It continued, "We are also calling on religious leaders in Korea to stand with us to protect the lives and health of patients. The religious community has always spoken out whenever human bioethics and human rights issues arise. We ask them to join us to prevent further victimization in the confrontation between the medical community and the government."

The patient group pointed out that the government has been insisting on the need for more medical schools, but these doctors must be deployed where they are needed.

“There must also be a system and support for the return of trainee doctors who have left the country to ensure that public, essential, and community healthcare is properly staffed, not 10 years from now but right now," the statement added.