SEOUL: Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Monday said they will hold talks with the medical community, a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a “flexible” measure to suspend licenses of defiant trainee doctors.
Prospects of talks between the government and the medical community over a prolonged walkout by junior doctors were raised as Yoon instructed officials to seek dialogue with doctors, with the walkout disrupting medical services at major hospitals for nearly five weeks.
“Related ministries have immediately launched working-level preparations to hold talks with the medical community,” Cho told a government response meeting. “We will arrange a meeting between the government and the medical community as soon as possible.”
More than 90 percent of the country’s 13,000 trainee doctors have been on strike in the form of mass resignations since Feb. 20 to protest the government’s decision to increase the medical school enrolment quota by 2,000 seats.
The health ministry had warned it would begin suspe
nding the licenses of trainee doctors who defied the government’s order to return to work this week.
However, Yoon’s instruction came shortly after ruling People Power Party chief Han Dong-hoon met with representatives of the Medical Professors Association of Korea on Sunday.
Still, it is unclear whether potential talks with the medical community could produce tangible results as the government allocated an additional 2,000 admission seats to universities last week, in an indication that the government would not back down from the plan.
Cho welcomed the association’s willingness to hold “constructive” talks with the government but stressed completing the medical reform based on an increase of the medical school enrolment quota.
“We will discuss flexible measures with the party, regarding the administrative measure for junior doctors departing from workplaces, to minimize the impact of the medical vacuum,” Cho said.
In support of the junior doctors’ walkout, medical professors started tendering their resi
gnations Monday, although they pledged to remain at work.
Also on Monday, the association of medical professors called for the government to scrap the plan to increase the number of medical students.
“Unless the government scraps the plan to increase the number of medical school freshmen and withdraws the allocation of seats, the ongoing crisis cannot be settled,” the association said.
The association said medical professors will also go ahead with their plan to reduce their weekly work hours to 52 hours by adjusting surgeries and other medical treatments.
Source: Philippines News Agency
Hanoi: Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha led a Government delegation to the Russian Embassy in Hanoi on March 25 to offer condolences following the deadly terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, Moscow on March 22 evening.
Signing the condolence book, Ha extended the most profound sympathies of the Vietnamese Government, people, and himself to the Russian Government, people and families of the victims, adding that Vietnam strongly condemns terrorism in any form and believes that perpetrators will be strictly punished.
“Our hope is for the victims’ families to overcome this pain and loss”, Ha wrote. “We wish a speedy recovery to the injured and continued peace and prosperity for Russia and its people”.
On the same day, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu also visited the embassy and showed his sympathy in the condolence book.
The Russian Embassy in Hanoi, along with Consulates General in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, will have condolence books open for signing from March 25 to 27.
A
lso on March 25 morning, many Vietnamese and foreign citizens, businesses, agencies and organisations came to the embassy to lay wreaths and sign the condolence book, standing in solidarity with Russia during this difficult time.
A day earlier, many Vietnamese residents paid their respects by laying flowers, candles, and children’s toys at the Russian Embassy and Consulates General in Vietnam.
According to the latest data from Russian authorities, the attack left at least 137 dead and 182 others injured./.
Source: Vietnam News Agency
