South Korean prime minister meets with representatives from the medical community, calling for dialogue to resolve the impasse

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The strike by interns and resident doctors in South Korea to protest the increase in medical students has reached an impasse. Under the instruction of President Yoon Suk-yeol, Prime Minister Han Deok-su held a symposium at Seoul National University Hospital with relevant people from the medical and educational communities to seek to establish a dialogue mechanism to solve the current impasse.

Han Deok-su stated that the government will be committed to conducting dialogues on medical reform, seeking solutions, and added that the various problems in the medical community have caused great concern among the people and patients. He hoped that through this meeting, a dialogue mechanism could be established between the government and the medical community, and the two sides could solve the difficulties through frank dialogues. The government will listen to the opinions of interns and resident doctors and create an opportunity to eliminate the inconvenience of the people as soon as possible.

Seoul National University President Ryu Hong-lin said that from the perspective of the people and the government, a consultation mechanism needs to be established at this time to promote future medical reform. Before building a specific medical reform special committee, a consultation mechanism needs to be built first.

Yoon Suk-yeol pointed out at the State Council meeting he chaired at the presidential palace this morning that medical school professors resigned collectively yesterday to support the strike. He hoped that professors and other medical staff could actively participate in the dialogue, discuss medical reform issues with the government, and urge medical school professors to persuade the striking intern doctors to return to their posts as soon as possible. He reiterated that increasing the enrollment of medical students is a necessary measure and the minimum requirement to deal with the shortage of doctors in the future. It is the starting point of medical reform. The remaining medical reform measures must also be implemented quickly to be effective. The government will formulate an improved medical education plan next month to allay concerns about the decline in the quality of education due to the increase in medical students.