The government emphasizes it will take action according to the law and principles.
The government warned that serious issues could arise in individual career paths, stating that they would take action according to the law and principles against non-returning residents starting from the 4th.
Minister of Health and Welfare, Cho Kyoo Hong, chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ) meeting, responding to the collective action of doctors. He said, “The government has repeatedly requested the return of residents until the 29th of last month, but there are still many who have not returned.” He expressed his deep regret and disappointment that the residents had ultimately ignored this, despite fervent pleas from religious groups, patient organizations, disability organizations, and many citizens, including the business and labor sectors, to immediately stop the collective action threatening the lives of the people.
He stated, “The government’s principle in responding to illegal collective action remains unchanged,” and added, “Starting today (March 4th), we will conduct on-site inspections to confirm non-returning residents and plan to take action according to the law and principles.”
Minister Cho stated, “For whatever reason, doctors leaving their patients en masse is an unacceptable act.” He added, “The government will not hesitate to enforce penalties according to the law to protect the lives of the people,” and asked the non-returning residents to bear in mind that “serious issues could arise in their career paths.“
He expressed deep regret over the large-scale rally held by the Korean Medical Association the previous day, saying, “Ignoring patient treatment and engaging in collective action is deeply regrettable.” He added, “There are suspicions that pharmaceutical company employees were mobilized, and we will strictly investigate and take action according to the law against any coercing unfair behaviors under the pretext of pharmaceutical transactions.”
Minister Cho stated, “We will steadfastly complete the four major medical reform tasks, only looking out for the people.” He added, “We are accelerating the process of enacting the Act on Special Cases Concerning Medical Accident Handling by holding public hearings, and we will quickly prepare a plan to strengthen essential medical compensation and report to the people.”
Starting today, the government is operating the emergency operations center that supports the hospital transfer of emergency patients in four regions nationwide. The emergency operations center serves as a control tower that comprehensively adjusts inter-hospital transfer to ensure that emergency patients receive timely treatment.
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