▲On the 1st, when the police began a mandatory investigation into Korean Medical Association officials accused of violating medical laws, investigators are moving confiscated items at the Medical Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. (Photo provided by Yonhap News)
The Korean Medical Association (KMA) announced the largest rally since the medical crisis at Yeouido Park on the 3rd. Tensions between the government and doctors are increasing as the government imposes extreme measures such as search and seizure on doctors’ organizations.
According to Yonhap News on the 2nd, police executed a search and seizure warrant on officials of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) who were accused of violating medical laws on the 1st. It is reported that the police secured materials related to the medical association meeting minutes, work logs, struggle roadmap, and group action guidelines through search and seizure. The government believes that they are abetting and abetting collective action by supporting and providing legal support for the collective resignation of medical residents.
Just before the search and seizure began, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued (announced) orders to resume work (return to work) to some of the residents taking collective action through its website. After delivering the order through mail, cell phone text message, and home visit, the order was announced again through a public notice, and the punishment for non-returning residents began to count down.
The subjects are 13 people, including Daejeon Medical Association Chairman Park Dan. In most cases, it is the emergency committee or the executive branch that led the collective action at each teaching hospital.
As the number of non-returnees is large, it is highly likely that punishment will be carried out in stages.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a total of 565 residents returned to the medical field within 100 major teaching hospitals (95% of 13,000 residents working) within the return deadline (as of 5 p.m. on February 29). The number of leavers who did not return is 8,945, or 71.8% of the residents. Only about 6% of those who left returned to their patients.
However, it is highly likely that lenient treatment will be given to residents who express their intention to return during this holiday, which lasts until the 3rd. The government’s strong pressure on medical residents appears to be aimed at maximizing the number of returning residents, as the holiday period is effectively the last opportunity for ‘return without punishment.’
As the government puts pressure on doctors, including medical residents, resistance from doctors is also growing stronger. The Korean Medical Association plans to show off its power by holding the ‘National Doctors’ Rally’ at Yeouido Park in Seoul on the 3rd. The Korean Medical Association expects 20,000 people to participate in the rally, but given the strong pressure from the government, the number of attendees may far exceed expectations or, conversely, may be much lower.
In a statement, the Korean Medical Association said, “We are standing in front of a cliff with no place to retreat from,” and added, “It may cause inconvenience to the people.”