Seoul, Sep 2 (IANS) South Korean Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday tried to soothe concerns about hospital emergency rooms, as some doctors have warned of a potential disruption of emergency care due to a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors.
“Although there are some difficulties, we believe that emergency rooms are capable of maintaining operations,” Cho told an SBS radio, Yonhap news agency reported.
“The issues extend beyond emergency rooms to follow-up treatments, which were present even before the walkout by the medical community,” Cho said. “This can be addressed through medical reform.”
The minister added that the government will ensure 4,000 hospitals and clinics remain open over the Chuseok holiday.
With regard to a proposal by Han Dong-hoon, leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), to defer the medical school quota increase for 2026 to help break an impasse over the government’s medical reform plan, Cho said the government cannot accept the proposal.
“If we defer the increase in the medical school quota for 2026, it will also delay achieving a balance between the supply and demand for doctors,” Cho said.
The government has already finalised a plan to increase the medical school quota by about 1,500 students next year to address the shortage of doctors in essential services.
“Accepting (the proposal for delay) is not an option, as it could cause significant disruption to efforts aimed at bolstering essential medical services and improving regional health care,” he added.
However, Cho reiterated that the government is open to negotiating with the medical community should they come up with a reasonable solution.
The medical community has been reiterating that the government should fully reconsider the hike before engaging in any negotiations.
Last month, hospitals processed the resignations of nearly 7,700 trainee doctors who have been protesting the medical school quota increase since February, allowing departing doctors to seek new jobs and enabling hospitals to recruit fresh trainees.
However, the government’s efforts to normalise the medical system encountered obstacles, as the medical community largely resisted hospitals’ attempts to recruit new trainees.
–IANS
ts/rvt/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
