Patients demand doctors stop using lives as leverage in policy fights

Patients' voices demanding that doctors refrain from using patients' lives as a means to oppose government policies continue to grow. This issue is not limited to the period from February last year to the present, they said. In 2020 as well, junior doctors repeatedly left training hospitals as a means to oppose government policies, leading to ongoing patient harm, they added.

Patients consistently insisted that such incidents must not be repeated.

“Among the patients who suffered due to the mass resignation of resident doctors, there were cases where their conditions worsened or even led to death,” said Ahn Ki-jong, head of the Korea Alliance of Patient Organizations, at a meeting with the emergency committee of the Korea Intern Resident Association on Monday. “A sincere apology and self-reflection for these cases, along with a promise that patients' lives will never again be used as a tool to oppose government policies, are necessary.”

Ahn pointed out that from the standpoint of patients who experienced a medical void due to the collective action of trainee doctors, if the government and ruling party fail to establish measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents caused by doctors' collective actions and instead support the return of resident physicians through special measures that go against social norms and raise issues of fairness, this would be no different from condoning a third medical crisis caused by collective action of resident physicians.

The roundtable discussion was attended by Han Sung-jon, leader of the emergency committee of the Korea Intern Resident Association, spokesperson Jeong Jeong-il, and three committee members. Representatives from the patient group, including heads of organizations presenting on seven diseases, including leukemia, kidney cancer, and heart disease, attended the meeting.

“Patients have become victims despite having no fault or responsibility in the government-doctor conflict, and they have suffered the greatest direct harm during the medical staffing shortage. Nevertheless, the government and ruling party are focused solely on the return of trainee doctors, who are responsible for the medical void, while showing insufficient interest in addressing the actual victims of the conflict and the medical void—the patients—through institutional reforms or legislative improvements to compensate for their losses and prevent recurrence,” Ahn pointed out.

From the patients' perspective, about 10,000 medical residents have been engaged in collective actions for one year and six months, leaving the medical field simultaneously through mass resignations, which has gone beyond causing inconvenience to patients and could endanger their lives. There must be a promise that patients' lives will never again be used as a means to oppose government policies, he emphasized.

In this regard, Ahn also stressed the need for legislation to prevent gaps in essential medical services directly related to life, such as emergency rooms, intensive care units, and delivery rooms, and urged the swift review of the “Patient Basic Act,” which aims to prevent the recurrence of medical service gaps and compensate patients for damages, as well as the “Special Act on Compensation for Damages Caused by the Medical Crisis,” which was proposed to address the current situation, as well as the swift review of the ‘Healthcare Basic Act,’ which mandates that the state investigate patient harm in cases of national healthcare crises such as nationwide healthcare service disruptions.

"Over the past year and a half, patients and patient groups have exchanged information to seek treatment, supported one another, and persevered until now. During this process, patients have come to realize that our medical system is doctor-centered rather than patient-centered," Ahn recalled.

He emphasized the need for legislation and institutional reforms to prevent another medical crisis resulting from collective action by doctors.

Han Sung-jon apologized to the public for the prolonged medical crisis caused by the medical-political conflict and expressed his agreement that such an incident should not occur again.

“I apologize to the public for the inconvenience and anxiety caused by the medical dispute, which has lasted for more than a year and five months,” Han said. “I agree that such a situation should not happen again.”

However, Han made it clear that patient groups and junior doctors have different positions on how to prevent the recurrence of medical vacancies caused by the medical dispute. “As we experienced under the previous administration, no matter what legislation is enacted, excessive regulation and oppression will not solve anything, including the issuance of illegal orders, such as the order to resume work,” he said

Instead, he proposed rebuilding the future of healthcare in Korea based on trust.

"Young doctors also agree on the need to rebuild critical core medical care and address regional imbalances in healthcare. What we need now is to rebuild the future of healthcare in South Korea based on restored trust,” Han said. “I hope today will be a turning point in restoring the bond between patients and doctors."