Successful August KMA strike all depends on participation

General assembly on July 31 finalizes private clinic doctors’ strike date

KMA on a fight against reckless government administration pouring out controversial policies

The doctors’ organization objecting against the South Korean government intending to expand medical school admission and provide coverage on Korean herbal medicine are drawing up a plan to call a private clinic doctors’ strike.

 

The strike is most likely to be on Aug.

 

14.

 

According to Korean Medical Association (KMA) on July 29, the issue of calling an organized strike on Aug.

 

14 would be addressed at the general assembly on July 31 and the organization would publicly announce the result on Aug.

 

1.

 

A press conference convened in front of the NA Hall on July 23 to reprimand medical school admission expansion.

 

President Choi Dae-zip declared the organization would plan an all-out single-day strike on either Aug.

 

14 or 18.

 

The board members from 16 cities and provinces across the country gathered for an emergency meeting and shared their opinions on the strike date.

 

Apparently, the meeting convened in Osong city on July 25 had the majority of the opinions leaning towards Aug.

 

14.

 

But the administration of the organization is concerned of worsening the public opinion with the general strike amid COVID-19.

 

Besides, the regional doctors’ communities are questioning how to convince private clinic doctors when the expected outcome of the strike is unclear, regardless of their justifiable objection against the government policy.

 

However, the KMA administration claims its recent survey on the organization members found that the organization has enough willpower to fight against the government action.

 

Over 95 percent of the doctor members answered they are opposing against the government policy, and over 85 percent said they are willing to participate in a fight against the government policy like an all-out strike to correct the wrongful policy.

 

Moreover, the specialists’ all-out strike to be conducted on Aug.

 

7 could catalyze the private clinic doctors’ strike.

 

On July 23, the ruling party and the government have decided to gradually expand the medical school admission size from 400 students to 4,000 students through ten years time.

 

Leverage by the super ruling party’s power, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) held a meeting with the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (HIPDC) to swiftly push the plan of conducting a pilot program of granting coverage on Korean herbal medicine that requires budget of 50 billion won.

 

For now, the only option KMA has to reprimand and stop the so-called ‘Four Unjust Policies’ including stipulation of remote medicine, medical school admission expansion, coverage on Korean herbal medicine and establishment of public medical school is an all-out strike.

 

In a letter sent out to specialist doctors on July 29, President Choi Dae-zip stated “The true role of the KMA president is not to hide behind the organization but to lead the fight against wrongful government action in the frontline,” and “I ensure I will serve the role.

 

So please, join the fight against the unjust law.

 

Come together, as we must seize the madness of the government and ruling party constantly pouring out bad healthcare policies.”