Patients and guardians wait in front of the administrative department of a large hospital in central Seoul on the afternoon of the 30th, when some professors from large hospitals are on leave. Professors at Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Korea University Medical Center and Gyeongsang National University Hospital decided not to perform outpatient treatment or surgery that day, but the actual participation rate was low. 2024.4.30/News 1
On the 30th, when professors from Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital and Korea University Medical Center went on individual leave, each hospital generally operated normally. Since not many professors attended the break, the “healthcare chaos” feared by patients did not occur. Professors on leave are also known to have notified patients in advance and changed their treatment plans.
When I visited the outpatient treatment center of Seoul National University Hospital at 8 am on this day, there was no separate closure notice posted. Patients who went to the hospital early in the morning waited for the necessary blood tests before receiving treatment. Around 100 patients were awaiting treatment at the cancer hospital, which has cancer treatment rooms on each ward. At the same time, Severance Hospital in Sinchon, Seoul, also operated normally. There were many professors who did not take part in the holidays for reasons such as the difficulty of adapting the times of medical treatments and surgical operations already scheduled. It is said that the professors were reluctant to even check whether or not there would be a break. There are said to be several professors who tell employees, including nurses, “not to ask or try to find out if there is a break.” The decision to take a break was made at the faculty emergency committee level, and it was interpreted that this was to avoid embarrassment when normal medical treatment was known in advance. Professors at Korea University also announced the closure on this day, but most medical treatments continued normally at Anam Hospital and Guro Hospital of Korea University under Korea University Medical Center. The director of Guro Hospital of the Korean University is said to have stepped forward and persuaded the professors, saying: “It is a duty to keep the promises made to the patients.” A professor at this hospital said, “The faculty council decided to collectively resign and take leave, but it is not mandatory,” and did not submit a letter of resignation or participate in the leave.
Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital, which are among Korea’s “Big 5”, are Korea’s representative general hospitals with more than 10,000 outpatients per day last year. There were many concerns that the repercussions would increase if outpatient treatments at the two hospitals remained paralyzed, but no major confusion occurred. Seoul National University Hospital said: “This was not a total shutdown, but professors chose to take leave voluntarily and individually, so in many cases treatment was conducted as usual.” However, the hospital was not as busy as usual, with the surgical department completely closed. In the case of Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital, 38 out of 455 professors (8.4%) reportedly took leave. Severance Hospital also said, “We understand there have not been many closures.”
The government also said: “There will be no major confusion” regarding the dismissal of teachers on this day. Park Min-soo, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said: “Due to the closure of some professors, no hospital is completely suspending treatment,” adding: “The government will carefully understand and respond to the situation to minimize interruptions in treatment”. of seriously ill and emergency patients”.
Although there was no medical interruption, patients complained of anxiety. Mr A, a pancreatic cancer patient, said: “There is a lot of inconvenience due to the residents’ strike and if we stop providing treatment any more, all the patients will die.” Mr. B, who visited Seoul National University Hospital that day, also asked, “How long should patients worry?”
Some professors on break held debates or organized protest pickets. Instead of taking a break that day, the Emergency Response Committee of the Faculty Council of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital held an emergency symposium on the topic “The Future Path for L ‘medical care in Korea’. Choi Ki-young, a professor at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and responsible for the presentation, said: “Let doctors take the lead and begin the long fight against fascism.” Park Jae-il, head of the residency program at Seoul National University Hospital, said: “The government is destroying the relationship of trust with the medical community through lack of communication and hypocrisy, and is even destroying the relationship of trust with the medical community.” people demonizing the residents.”
At Severance Hospital, seven people, including Yonsei University Medical School Emergency Response Committee Chairman Ahn Seok-gyun (professor of psychiatry), protested by holding pickets with phrases such as “Rediscuss the starting point (the school’s ability to medicine) so that residents and students can return.” Some patients have said, “I feel like I’m clutching at straws, but it’s too much.”
Meanwhile, the Presidential Transition Committee of the Korean Medical Association announced today: “We are pursuing the formation of a pan-medical advisory body composed of the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Medical Association, medical school professors, residents and medical students for one year. Face-to-face dialogue with the government”. This is interpreted as an attempt to prepare for future one-on-one dialogue between the medical community and the government.
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