No dialogue without govt. change of attitude first: doctors

Korean Medical Association spokesperson Choi Anna announces the release of a joint statement from eight medical associations on the government's proposal to form a consultative group for negotiations. (Yonhap)

The medical community Friday said it will not be participating in any multilateral dialogue with political parties and the government, amid the ongoing standoff against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to hike the medical school admissions quota.

Choi Anna, a spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, said, "We believe that it is premature to participate in the bipartisan consultative body at this point in time since there has been no change in the government's attitude,” at a briefing on the medical sector's joint position toward the proposed consultative group on the medical crisis on Friday.

A total of eight associations, including the Korean Medical Association, the Medical Professors Association of Korea, the Korea Association of Medical Colleges, the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, the National Emergency Committee for Medical Professors and the Medical Association Delegates' Council joined together to release their official position.

Before any possible dialogue, Choi called for the government to stop investigating residents and interns who resigned en masse in February, and to stop trying to force through a quota increase for 2025.

“The situation cannot be resolved unless the government admits its wrong policies,” Choi said. "The agreements that the medical community made with the government have never been kept, and we have requested improvements in various aspects, such as regarding problems with health care in regions and with sectors that are unpopular, but the government has not accepted them," she added.

“We hope that the people will call on the government to (first) stop its unreasonable policies and (then actually) talk to doctors,” she noted, emphasizing that the government should stop its rhetoric and show forward-looking change first.

The government and the main rival political parties have been calling for doctors' participation in a consultative body to negotiate with doctors' groups in an attempt to resolve Korea’s months-long standoff in the medical sector, which began after the government announced a plan to increase the medical school admissions quota by 2,000 places, leading to the mass resignations of 10,000 interns and residents in February.

By Choi Jeong-yoon(jychoi@heraldcorp.com)