Criticism snowballs at doctors¡¯ refusal of treatment

At the decision of the National Council of Professors of Medical Colleges, the medical school professors resolved to stop examining patients and began striking again as of September 5, arousing a bigger criticism even from the inside.

The Association of Physicians for Humanism on September 5, in the morning, held a press conference at Cecil restaurant in Jung-gu Jeong-dong, Seoul. The association requested for the overall medical reform from the government and demanded the medical sector to stop striking. They asserted that the source for the on-going medical crisis stemmed up from the current faulty health and medical policy, but it is wrong to try to solve it by going on a strike and threatening the health of the people.

The Medical Reform Wishing Solidarity, a medical organization formed by progressive doctors and medical students on August 2, even criticized the demands made by the medical sector.

On the other hand, the medical professors reconfirmed their decision to stop treating patients at the meeting once on Monday and again on Tuesday. The professors thus withdrew from examining patients and will treat only the intensive-care unit patients and reservation patients on voluntary and on duty basis. Out of the 20 major university hospitals, the professors of the 16 hospitals stopped examining patients.

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association is also planning to meet and discuss measures to prevent the proposal of the separation of pharmacy and clinic from being distorted.

Moreover, the association of Seoul City Pharmacist has scheduled on September 6 as their voting day on the participation in the separation of pharmacy and clinic. Consequently, this week is expected to be the peak of the medical crisis.