The Korean Medical Association (KMA) held a general strike on Friday, with nearly 30,000 doctors and interns rallying against the South Korean government's plan to increase the number of medical students in a bid to meet growing health demands, a Sputnik correspondent reported
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) The Korean Medical Association (KMA) held a general strike on Friday, with nearly 30,000 doctors and interns rallying against the South Korean government's plan to increase the number of medical students in a bid to meet growing health demands, a Sputnik correspondent reported.
Demonstrations took place in the capital city of Seoul, as well as in Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Daejeon and others.
The plan to increase admission quotas for medical faculties in institutes and specialized colleges by a total of 4,000 people over the next 10 years, starting in 2022, angered healthcare workers, who say that this will only lead to higher hospital prices and unemployment.
The government's decision comes as the country witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases with 103 new local infections reported on Friday alone.
"Everyone who came here is somehow related to medicine, we checked the temperature of all participants, and the doctors strictly follow all preventive measures. Of course, large gatherings in the context of coronavirus are dangerous, but we have no way out. Among those who wanted to go on strike, there were those who are treating coronavirus patients, but we asked them to stay because patients need them," one of the KMA workers, who organized the rally, told Sputnik.
South Korean Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung Hoo has previously urged the medical association to cancel the strike and warned that the country would take legal action if the strike posed threat to the health and safety of patients. The Health Ministry has also ordered that local authorities issued instructions to medical institutions on the mandatory resumption of work if the share of closed clinics in the region exceeded 30 percent.
The government is also calling on doctors to resolve differences through dialogue. On Tuesday, the KMA held its first round of talks with the authorities, however, the result was said to be just a "confirmation of their differences."
The association is planning to hold another three-day strike from August 26-28, if the government does not approach negotiations "with full responsibility."
South Korea has so far registered 14,873 COVID-19 cases, 305 deaths and 13,863 recoveries.
