A group of residents met with ruling party lawmakers at the National Assembly to discuss a return plan, the final hurdle for resolving conflicts in medical policies. It has been 1 year and 5 months since the residents collectively left patients' sides in February last year. The residents called for improvements in working conditions and a reduction in the legal burden related to medical accidents.
Chairperson Han Sung-jun of the Korean Association of Resident Physicians (KARPs) held a meeting titled "Gathering for the Reconstruction of Critical and Core Medical Services" with Park Joo-min, chairperson of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, on the afternoon of the 14th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Korea also attended.
Chairperson Han said at the meeting, "The medical system, which we have been proud of, is on the verge of collapsing due to conflicts in medical policies," adding, "We aim to rebuild critical and core medical services beyond just pointing out faults." He stated, "Improving the training environment for residents and reducing legal risks in medical practice will be the cornerstone for the future of medical services in Korea."
Residents train at the hospital for 4 to 5 years to become specialists after graduating from medical school and obtaining their medical licenses. It is argued that improving the harsh training work environment will allow them to treat patients better. They also claimed that if the burden of lawsuits is reduced when unintended medical accidents occur, they will not avoid critical and core medical services.
Chairperson Han expressed, "I feel heavy-hearted about the anxiety that patients and their families have experienced so far," and noted, "We will continue to think and strive toward the goal of better medical services." The KARPs will finalize a proposal for their return at an extraordinary general meeting on the 19th.
After the meeting, Commissioner Park Joo-min said, "I hope the recent trend of medical students expressing their intention to return continues, creating a basis for residents to return as well," and added, "We gathered our intent to continue discussions to resolve the situation for the sake of the public and patients." He continued, "We discussed the difficulties in the field of critical and core medical services and improvements to the system," and mentioned, "We did not discuss specific matters such as the timing of the resumption of resident training." Earlier, medical students decided to return in full on the 12th.
Patient advocacy groups welcomed the return of residents and medical students but stated, "There should be no preferential treatment." The Korean Patients' Association held a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, stating, "If residents and medical students who returned, expecting preferential government measures, are treated more favorably after not returning to the end, it goes against justice and common sense," adding, "We do not want to experience a medical vacancy due to conflicts in medical policies any longer."
Patient advocacy groups are demanding the enactment of the "Essential Medical Service Gap Prevention Act." The idea is to establish legal measures so that even if doctors leave the hospital due to collective actions, at least some personnel remain in places like emergency rooms and intensive care units.