SEOUL, June 17 (Yonhap) — The country’s largest group of doctors offered Sunday to hold a vote on whether to move forward with a massive strikethis week, if the Government accepts three demands, including reconsidering the issue of increasing admission quotas in medical schools.
The Korean Medical Association (KMA) made the offer two days before the scheduled start of the strikewhich involves the medical professors from Seoul’s five major hospitals, as well as community doctors.
The strike will be in support of trainee doctors, who have left their jobs since February, in protest against the government’s plan to increase the quota for medical students.
The KMA gave the Government until 11:00 pm on Sunday to respond to its three demands, which also include re-examining and supplementing key points in the Government’s policy package for the essential medical services sector and canceling all sanctions against trainee doctors.
If the government accepts the demands, the KMA said it will hold a vote among all members on Monday to decide whether to go ahead with Tuesday’s strike.
If the Government refuses, he said he will carry out the indefinite strike as planned.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a press release urging the unconditional cancellation of the protest and emphasized that it is “inappropriate for the KMA to make political demands to the Government under the condition of a illegal strike“.
In this file photo, Lim Hyun-taek, head of the South Korean Medical Association, announcing the association’s plan to go on strike against the government’s medical reform measures, during a press conference held, on June 9, 2024, at the organization’s headquarters in Seoul.
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