(Health Korea News / Yu Ji-in) The petition requesting a state investigation to uncover the truth about the policy to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 has surpassed 50,000 signatures in just 4 days since it was made public at 6:00 PM on July 24. This means that the petition has met the conditions to be referred to the relevant committee.
In a recent survey conducted by the Korean Medical College Professors’ Association (KMCA), 47% of our citizens responded that the government is responsible for the current medical vacuum. This is a 13% increase from the 34% who responded in February. The number of citizens in favor of increasing medical school enrollment also decreased from 89% at the end of last year to 62% in June.
Regarding this, the Korean Council for the Advancement of Science and Technology interpreted it as “that the people are beginning to understand that the cause of this situation is the government’s unilateral and arbitrary decisions and coercive policy implementation.”
He then criticized, “Five months have passed since the incident began with the reckless policy of increasing 2,000 troops without consultation, basis, or preparation, but there is no sign of a solution.”
The Korean Medical Association pointed out that, “The public’s inconvenience and concerns are getting worse, and the catastrophe that doctors have been so worried about since March is becoming a reality,” and that “medical students are not showing any intention of returning to school even in the second semester.”
“The medical crisis we were worried about has become a reality… Only 364 people are taking the medical licensing exam”
According to the Korean Medical Association, only 364 (11.4%) took the national medical exam that will be implemented starting in September of this year. Considering the vast amount of education and tight academic administration at medical schools, it seems inevitable that there will be mass repeats and absences. It will also be difficult to accept new students next year.
Most of the residents have not yet returned, and it is known that few will apply for the September recruitment. In this situation, not only local training hospitals but also training hospitals in the Seoul area are facing bankruptcy.
The Korean Council for Educational Workers said, “In this situation, the government is still sticking to its policies of non-communication and oppression, and is not showing any will to resolve the situation,” and urged, “It is time for the National Assembly to step in. The National Assembly must step in and stop the chaos in state affairs and the waste of national power caused by the irresponsible government policies.”
The Korean Medical Association claims that through a state investigation, not only should the government investigate the scientific basis for the 2,000-person increase, the decision and assignment process, the judicial order for residents, and the policy of prohibiting students from taking a leave of absence, but also thoroughly investigate the governance issues of the medical policy decisions that provided the root cause of this situation, thereby providing a starting point for resolving the situation. This is interpreted as meaning that those responsible for triggering this medical crisis should be punished.
The Korean Medical Association emphasized, “The government must face the reality of the health and medical education of the Korean people, which are in a precarious state, and must now take a forward-looking stance and resolve the situation,” and “The government must now realize that it can no longer resolve the situation through all kinds of tricks, coercion, and intimidation. In order to prevent an irreversible catastrophe, it must cancel the reinforcements and engage in genuine political dialogue, not formal dialogue.”
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Source: www.hkn24.com
