South Korea seeks talks with striking doctors as return to work deadline looms - CNA

NOT ENDING SOON

Analysts say the government's hardline stance may play well for them ahead of legislative elections set for Apr 10.

"If the government were to back down now, they would perceive it as a major setback ahead of the upcoming general elections," Kim Jae-heon, the secretary general of an NGO advocating free medical care, told AFP.

But doctors "believe that stepping back at this point would result in their own disadvantage. It seems the current standoff will continue for a while".

Proponents of the reform say doctors are mainly concerned the changes could erode their salaries and social status. The government says South Korea has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios among developed countries.

Polling shows up to 75 percent of the public support the reforms, and President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has taken a hard line on the striking doctors, has seen his approval ratings tick up.

Kim Sung-ju, head of the Korean Cancer Patients Rights Council, told AFP that patients' lives were being held "hostage".

"If the entire system comes to a halt simply because (junior doctors) have left, it truly highlights the shortage of doctors," he said.

"It is astonishing that they are... using patients' lives as leverage to further their own interests."

The mass work stoppage resulted in the cancellation and postponement of surgeries, chemotherapy and C-sections, with the government raising its public health alert to the highest level.

Kim Tae-hyeon, the head of the Korean ALS Association, said the striking doctors were "worse than organised criminals."

"In hospice wards and intensive care units, (patients) are struggling to stay alive," he added.

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2024-02-29 02:31:00Z
CBMidmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9zb3V0aC1rb3JlYS1kb2N0b3JzLXdhbGtvdXQtcHJvdGVzdC1kZWFkbGluZS1yZXR1cm4tcHJvc2VjdXRpb24taG9zcGl0YWxzLTQxNTg0MjbSAQA