Doctors across Korea are taking a stand against the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions, a move they fear will impede access to healthcare.
Service Hours Limited:
From Monday onwards, government doctors as well as private doctors will close their serving hours to protest against doctors who stand by the irregular invitation system. This purpose is twofold: one is to express their concerns about the likely effects on the government’s choice, and another is to invite the voters to select the political parties or candidates that care about them.
Impact on Healthcare Access:
According to the press release of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), regular clinics, including general practice, medical checkups, and promotional care, will be reduced due to the 40-hour workweek enforcement for doctors. Such a decision will certainly affect patients who are either looking for medical attention outside the official working hours or at a later time than when they are at home.
Focus on Critical Patients:
In most major hospitals, doctors will prioritize critically ill and emergency patients, with the provision of outpatient appointments and scheduled surgeries for non-critical cases once the situation has eased. This action is aimed at preventing the state of affairs where money is sent in the direction of people who are most urgently in need of first medical aid.
Unified Protest Efforts:
A 24-hour limit of the South Korean Medical Professors Association has been at work for its members since March 25th. Lastly, they are advocating to the authorities who seek the poor should receive faster services. Through the emergency committee, the KMA aims to strengthen the importance of unity and cooperation among Healthcare Professionals.
Patient Concerns and Calls for Resolution:
Every passing day, the anxiety of the patients is heavily aggravating, as the striking activities have lasted for over for 40 days without being called off. According to the representatives of the Korean Alliance of Patients Organization, public healthcare services may suffer the most and this, in turn, might affect patient care positively. Therefore, they require an immediate breakup between the government and doctors.
Government Stance and Doctor’s Demands:
In contrast, some doctors give their full support to the government plan, though final decision rests on government officials, who are required to drop the plan. They present two contrasting standpoints which have brought about a deadlock, with both sides being unwilling to give in.
Calls for Return to Work:
Striking lab technicians at these hospitals next to Seoul express their distress and demand that junior doctors resume their work or, as a last resort, dismiss their superiors from their positions. This shows that along with the healthcare industry, we all are now also feeling the growing pressure to reach a common agreement for the gushing benefits of patients.
