Bipartisan council launches to tackle medical reform by year-end

[Anchor]

The bipartisan legislative council to discuss medical reform issues has officially launched after being proposed two months ago.

It has set a goal to achieve visible results by the end of the year.

Today (11.11), it appealed to the opposition parties and resident doctors' organizations that did not attend to join the discussions.

First, reporter Lee Yoo-min has the details.

[Report]

[“Bipartisan legislative council, fighting!!”]

Members from the ruling party, government, and medical community have joined hands.

This is the first meeting to discuss issues such as increasing medical school admissions, medical service gaps, and resolving conflicts between the medical community and the government.

Ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon expressed strong support for the bipartisan legislative council, which has finally launched after various twists and turns.

[Han Dong-hoon/Leader of the People Power Party: “The Prime Minister has directly participated to create a swift decision-making structure. This means that our council's agreements will soon become policies.”]

Leader Han urged the Democratic Party, which had initially proposed a four-party council, to participate promptly, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo appealed for the participation of resident doctors' organizations that still hold a negative stance.

[Han Duck-soo/Prime Minister: “Medical reform is a task that cannot be accomplished by the government alone. I expect the council to seek reasonable alternatives by narrowing down different thoughts to achieve the same goals.”]

During the meeting, which lasted about an hour, the council agreed to achieve visible results by the end of the year.

They decided to meet twice a week to focus on current issues, including the return of resident doctors who have resigned, as requested by the medical community.

The medical community expressed concerns about next year's medical school admissions during today's first meeting, but no specific discussions took place.

The Democratic Party, which did not attend today's meeting, remains negative about joining the council, stating that without the participation of resident doctors' organizations and discussions on next year's medical school admissions, the council's effectiveness would be diminished.

This is KBS News reporter Lee Yoo-min.