Pharmacists end fight against new system

Pharmacists have decided to adhere to the proposed new medical system, revoking their earlier decision, but doctors have declared to continue their fight against it. The Korean Pharmaceutical Association decided to defy the proposed amendment and to support the new medical system, which separates the roles of doctors and pharmacists.

The KPA declared that it was suspending all its opposition activities to devote itself to preparing for the new system, which will go into effect in full swing soon. "We are still discontented with the revised bill that incorporates only the demands of doctors,¡± a KPA spokesman said. ¡°But we concluded that we should not waste time for collective action of attrition over the law revision with the enforcement of the new system imminent."

Leaders of the pharmacists` lobbying group, including chairman Kim Hee-Jung, halted the hunger strike they were staging since Sunday in protest against the revised bill. Now they intend to prepare for the separation of the roles of doctors and pharmacists.

However, the pharmacists` group decided to recommend to the government an array of measures to help the new system take root. The proposals include ways to help pharmacists get sufficient stocks of doctor-prescribed drugs, activate neighborhood pharmacies and prevent collusive connections between specific medical institutions and pharmacies.

In the meantime, the Korean Medical Association reiterated its opposition to the revised bill, which passed the National Assembly standing committee in a meeting of about 250 delegates. Doctors claim that the amendment cannot eliminate the pharmacists` own prescriptions. In a resolution, they demanded the immediate release of their leader Kim Jae-Jung and a halt to the crackdown on the KMA leadership.

They also demanded the establishment of a committee for health and medical development under the direct control of the president. "We will mobilize every means available, such as giving up our doctor`s licenses and closing clinics, to fight the revised bill from a viewpoint of securing people`s health and restoring medical rights," they said in the resolution.