Narrow the differences before it’s too late

President Yoon Seok Yeol last week met with Park Dan representing the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), whose members have wreaked havoc on the medical scene through their collective walkout on Feb. 19 to protest the government’s plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 annually over the next five years. The tête-à-tête took place for more than two hours after President Yoon suggested that the increased quota of 2,000 could be negotiated. The meeting raised hope that the two sides steadfastly sticking to their hardline stance could find a middle ground to end the ongoing medical crisis.

Junior doctors maintained that they cannot return to work unless the government drops the rigid plan that could worsen their working environment with an oversupply of doctors. But President Yoon called their demand “selfish” and “jeopardizing” public health. KIRA’s Park reportedly relayed the worries of trainee doctors and their tough working conditions, to which the president paid heed. Given the strong differences between the two sides, a single meeting can hardly resolve the conflict. Still, doctors and the government cannot let the situation prolong due to the toll on innocent patients.

Deaths of ER patients are increasing amid the protracted void in the crucial medical staff at general hospitals. A man in his 70s who was squashed under a fallen telephone pole died in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, last month because he could not find a hospital to operate on him. A 33-month-old infant who was rescued from a pool of water died on the way to a bigger hospital. The series of deaths from emergency situations shows the dire shortage of doctors at hospitals across the country.

The deficiency in trainee doctors in major hospitals also could worsen after just six people applied for 166 internship openings at Seoul National University Hospital. Only four applied for 151 openings in Severance Hospital last week. Without a breakthrough, hospitals could lack trainee doctors for a considerable period of time.

To keep the hard-won dialogue momentum alive, both sides must be open to a compromise. The government must not hold on to its initial plan of increasing the quota by 2,000 while the medical community must admit to the deficiency in doctors in essential areas. If they turn away from one another after just one meeting, they could come under criticism for feigning a reconciliatory gesture for a possible impact on the upcoming election on April 10. The president and doctors must prioritize the wellbeing of apprehensive patients who are closely watching the alarming exodus of doctors. Doctors must not desert their patients any longer because no issue should come before their health.