TRAINEE DOCTORS CONTINUE TO CLASH WITH GOVT

[Anchor Lead]

Trainee doctors have set up an emergency committee and are demanding that the re-negotiation of the government's medical reforms be documented. The government has rebutted, saying that withdrawing some of the policies is beyond its authority. Both sides continue to stress the importance of maintaining dialogue.

[Pkg]

​Expansion of medical school admission quotas, establishment of a public medical school, inclusion of traditional oriental medicine in the nation's public health insurance system, and telemedicine -- the medical sector claims the government unilaterally pushed ahead with these policies without consulting doctors. Medical trainees are demanding that the policies be discussed again from square one. To this end, medical trainees and students have launched an emergency committee. They promised to stop their collective walkout if the re-negotiation of the issue is documented.

[Soundbite] KIM JI-SUNG(CHIEF OF YOUNG DOCTORS' EMERGENCY COMMITTEE) : "You keep mentioning the government's concession to discuss all the options. Then this must include discussing the matter from square one. We understand that withdrawing everything would be difficult, but to not at least document it..."

They stressed that although they agree on matters such as the avoidance of certain medical fields among medical students and the regional gap in healthcare, solving them would require the normalization of medical fees first.

[Soundbite] PARK JI-HYUN(KOREAN INTERN RESIDENT ASSOCIATION) : "Because of the deficit stemming from unrealistic medical fees, doctors give up on their areas of specialization and instead choose areas that are not covered by the national insurance."

The government rebutted by saying the medical trainees' demand to withdraw certain policies is unacceptable, as the Korean Medical Association also participated in the decision-making process. The government noted that the inclusion of traditional oriental medicine in the nation's public health insurance system was a decision reached after eight months of negotiations among the highest decision-making body that included KMA officials. It also added that the establishment of a public medical school is only possible when the National Assembly passes a relevant law and cannot be implemented unilaterally by the government. The government is demanding that the medical sector present a clear stance.

[Soundbite] YOON TAE-HO(CENTRAL DISASTERS MANAGEMENT HEADQUARTERS) : "Two of their demands are unfeasible because they are either beyond the administrative authority or illegitimate. The other one is about the expansion of the number of doctors."

It also reiterated its willingness to continue the dialogue by saying the postponement of the medical license exam represents a gesture of reconciliation.

[Soundbite] CHUNG SYE-KYUN(PRIME MINISTER) : "We don't want to see even a single doctor being punished. I want to emphasize again that we don't want anyone's sacrifice."

The government also said it has dropped its accusations on four out of ten interns and residents suspected of unauthorized absence from duty after on-site investigations found they were dispatched to provincial hospitals or remained on duty. Now that both sides have agreed to hold an open debate that's either televised or streamed online, they are expected to try to narrow their differences soon.