Doctors in S. Korea to go on 3-day nationwide strike on August 26
- 4 years ago
복지부•의협 협의 실패…의협 "2차 집단휴진 강행"
South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare has failed to reach consensus with the Korean Medical Association in regards to expanding the number of students in med schools.
As a result, doctors will push ahead with yet another nationwide strike next week
Hong Yoo reports.
Tens of thousands of doctors in South Korea will proceed with a second nationwide strike next Wednesday.
The strike, set for three days, is in protest to the government's plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical school.
The decision comes as they failed to reach consensus with the Health Ministry after two-hours of talks.
The ministry said it will continue to request communication, but the doctors are reluctant to keep talking.
As the country is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, there's likely to be increased public anxiety over the lack of doctors on duty.
The Korean Medical Association made it clear that they would only resume talks when the government scraps its new medical workforce program.
The plan is to expand admission quotas at medical schools by 4-thousand over the next ten years starting in 2022, and to open a new public medical school.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters after the meeting that they did not discuss scrapping the number of admission quotas, adding they are trying to discuss other options.
He added the ministry has requested that the association form a consultative group to further proceed with negotiations.
Doctors say the government must accept that it failed to cooperate with them in the process of drawing up a new medical policy.
The doctors say it's only then that they will be willing to resume talks with the government.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.
South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare has failed to reach consensus with the Korean Medical Association in regards to expanding the number of students in med schools.
As a result, doctors will push ahead with yet another nationwide strike next week
Hong Yoo reports.
Tens of thousands of doctors in South Korea will proceed with a second nationwide strike next Wednesday.
The strike, set for three days, is in protest to the government's plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical school.
The decision comes as they failed to reach consensus with the Health Ministry after two-hours of talks.
The ministry said it will continue to request communication, but the doctors are reluctant to keep talking.
As the country is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, there's likely to be increased public anxiety over the lack of doctors on duty.
The Korean Medical Association made it clear that they would only resume talks when the government scraps its new medical workforce program.
The plan is to expand admission quotas at medical schools by 4-thousand over the next ten years starting in 2022, and to open a new public medical school.
Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters after the meeting that they did not discuss scrapping the number of admission quotas, adding they are trying to discuss other options.
He added the ministry has requested that the association form a consultative group to further proceed with negotiations.
Doctors say the government must accept that it failed to cooperate with them in the process of drawing up a new medical policy.
The doctors say it's only then that they will be willing to resume talks with the government.
Hong Yoo, Arirang News.