Medical crisis reaches turning point early this week

While the government and civic groups have released an ultimatum calling for medical circles to end their walkout and return to their duties, health care professionals, which have been left leaderless, have stated their intention to engage in dialogue with the government after preparing a single negotiation window, thereby raising hopes that the window to a solution to the medical crisis has been opened.

It has also become known that there are voices within medical circles asking for the shutdown of hospitals and clinics to be put on hold during the inter-Korean separated family reunion period (August 15 to 18).

On August 12, the Medical Rights Acquisition Struggle Committee of the Korean Medical Association convened a Central Committee Meeting and installed a "Emergency Co-representative Subcommittee." The sub-committee -- comprised of 10 professional representatives, including members of the Central Committee of the Medical Rights Acquisition Struggle Committee and specialized doctors` representatives (2 each) a senior director of the Korean Medical Association, a medical college professor, a full-time doctor, a clinician, a hospital doctor, and a medical college student (1 each) -- will play the role of an official window for government-medical dialogue.

On August 13, Chu, Soo-Ho, a spokesperson for the Medical Rights Acquisition Struggle Committee said, "The Emergency Sub-committee will re-study in depth the various matters demanded by the medical circles as they have been presented so far, and will enter into negotiations with the government anytime if the government requests it."

On August 13, the "Civil Movement Headquarters for Resolving the Separation of Pharmacists from Doctors" an alliance of over 100 civil groups, including the People`s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Citizen`s Coalition for Economic Justice, and labor and religious circles, inaugurated the "Pan-citizens` Policy Meeting for the Protection of the Citizens` Rights to Health and for the Withdrawal of the Group Closure of Business by Medical Circles," beginning an active resistance movement to the walkout.