Doctors urge Lee administration to resolve medical crisis, restore training programs

As the new government's message on healthcare normalization remains delayed, criticism from the medical community is intensifying.

Amid criticism that the Lee Jae Myung administration is avoiding resolution, calls are mounting for it to ensure flexible academic operations and improve the training system to facilitate the return of medical students and trainee doctors.

In a resolution adopted at its annual general meeting and spring conference held at Lotte Hotel Seoul on Sunday, the Seoul Physicians Association demanded that the new government "review the previous government's medical policies and put all its efforts into resolving the medical crisis."

"The new government should resolve the medical crisis that has set Korean healthcare backward and promote healthcare reform that focuses on primary healthcare," the association said. "It should invest generously in areas that prioritize improving people's health, not policies that threaten people's health and lead to populist politics."

The association said that healthcare policies should be developed in consideration of socioeconomic changes and in full consultation with the medical community. Promoting unilateral policies without justification will lead to disastrous failure, it added.

In an appeal released last Friday, the Jeollanamdo (South Jeolla Province) Medical Association said, "The new government should stop shirking its political responsibilities and make a decision to stop the medical catastrophe."

The association urged the Lee Jae-myung government to follow the government-doctor agreement signed by its Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) predecessor, the Moon Jae-in administration, on Sept. 4, 2020, and must not engage in irresponsible politics that deceive the people and deny policy continuity.

The Jeonbuk-do (North Jeolla Province) Medical Association also pointed out that the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education are still passive in resolving the situation and that it is the duty of the government and the ruling party to propose an alternative that is acceptable to the medical community.

"The government should face the situation and move forward with the medical community on the path to normalization," it said, noting that the “golden time” to normalize medical education ends this month.

On the same day, the Chungbuk (North Chungcheong) Medical Association also called for normalizing medical education and reinstating resigned trainee doctors, saying that solving the medical problem is the most urgent.

"This is not just a fight over livelihoods, but a final plea to save essential medicine," the association said. "The government should boldly abolish wrongful practices and build a future-oriented and sound medical system."

The Daegu Medical Association called for the government to sit down with the medical community immediately, and the Gwangju Medical Association also urged the government to talk to the medical community and take steps to repair the situation.

The latter urged President Lee to replace the minister and vice minister of health and welfare who are responsible for the medical turmoil.