“The law of deprivation of doctor’s license wins” counterattack by ruling party

“If the amendment to the medical law is approved, we will engage in a full-scale struggle, such as a national medical strike.” (Korean Medical Association on the 20th)
“If the National Assembly makes illegal collective action a reality, the government will not hesitate to exercise strong administrative power.” (Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun on the 21st)

In addition, the conflict between the Democratic Party and the Medical Association reignited. Following a conflict over the issue of increasing the number of medical schools and establishing a public medical school last year, the front was formed with the so-called “Doctor’s License Deprivation Act” (amendment to the medical law) passed by the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee on the 19th.

The bill deprives the license of a doctor who was sentenced to imprisonment or higher for all crimes except for negligence and negligence in business, and prohibits re-issuance of the license for up to five years after the execution of the sentence. In the existing medical law, the license was revoked only when he was sentenced to imprisonment or higher for violating the medical law, but the scope was expanded so that the license was revoked not only in relation to the medical law but also in other crimes. The amendment passed is a bill that combines eight medical amendments initiated by seven representatives, including Kang Hospital, Kang Seon-woo, Kwon Chil-seung, Ko Young-in, Park Ju-min (Democratic Party Lee Sang), and Kwak Sang-do (the power of the people) and Choi Yeon-sook (National Congress).

Immediately after passing the Welfare Committee, the Korea Medical Association made a backlash comment that “overregulation against equity”, and Chairman of the Medical Association Choi, Choi, said through Facebook, “The price of cooperating and supporting the government for the people without any conditions, such as treatment and vaccination, It was back to the evil law of retaliation to kill the doctor.” Not just the general strike He also added a warning of high-intensity struggles such as “the struggle to return 130,000 doctors’ licenses, and the entire temporary suspension of cooperation between the governments and the government of corona 19 vaccination”. It is a battle between the two sides that took place once again ahead of the first vaccination in Korea on the 26th.

The purpose of the Democratic Party’s legislation is to “make doctors who are responsible for the lives and health of the people equipped with the level of ethical consciousness that our people want” (Rep. Park Ju-min). The Democratic Party explains that this discussion itself has been going on for several years since the 20th National Assembly.

However, the KMA suspects that it is a’retaliation legislation’. This situation happened because there were many cases in which the Democratic Party lost face because the medical consultations were virtually victorious in the conflict between passports and medical consultations that continued from the beginning of last year.

The conflict between the two sides began in February last year when the medical consultation criticized “(because the government did not restrict entry from China) the first coronavirus quarantine was virtually failed.” However, the conflict intensified as the Democratic Party pledged to ▶ establish a public medical university and expand the number of doctors ahead of the general election in April last year. The Democratic Party had a justification for the need to expand medical staff due to Corona 19, and it was a pledge to set up a medical school in Jeonnam, which is the only place that does not have a medical school and is the base of support among national organizations.

However, the situation changed rapidly in August of that year as medical associations and other medical organizations went on a general strike. The passport issued a strong criticism message saying “(nurses) have to take on the burdens of doctors on strike” (President Moon Jae-in) or “a strike that takes the health and life of the people as hostage” (Democratic Party representative Lee Hae-chan at the time). I aimed.

However, with the spread of corona infection, the government had no choice but to accept the demands of the medical community that pulled out the treatment rejection card. So what came out was the 9·4 agreement. Through agreement at the time The Passport announced that it would’re-discuss’ issues such as the expansion of medical school quotas, and Chairman Choi self-addressed that he had achieved “unprecedented valuable achievements.”

The agreement at the time provoked a post-storm. Representatives of 176 civic groups, including the KCTU, criticized “the government and the ruling party eventually stepped back in the hostage play of doctors”, and on the bulletin board of the party members, “I gave it 180 seats, and there was a shout of it.

Inside the Democratic Party, it is believed that the Democratic Party can win this fight as a justification or public opinion.

First, it is equity with other professions. Other professions, such as lawyers and accountants, are already disqualified if they are sentenced to prison terms or higher. Moreover, the internal judgment of the passport is that there is not much cause for opposition by the Medical Association as the result of negligence and malpractice in the course of discussions on the legislation that resulted in accidental injury or death while treating patients were removed from the crimes subject to license deprivation. The content that prevents a person who has been declared bankrupt and has not been reinstated as a medical person is also omitted. This is the reason for the Democratic Party’s refutation that “People in professional occupations, such as lawyers and lawmakers, have already been subject to the same regulations for a long time” (Rep. Min-jung Ko) in the argument of “discriminating doctors unreasonably from other occupations”.

As the government said that it will “exercise strong administrative power,” it is not known whether doctors will actively participate in group action as before.

The part where the power of the people is watching public opinion is also an advantage for a passport.

At the time of last year’s medical staff strike, the power of the people who pressured the government, saying, “The government’s unilateral push caused a doctor’s strike” (Ho-Young Joo), this time is embarrassing. On the 21st, “I hope the government and the ruling party carefully judge how fighting with the medical community will help overcome the coronavirus” (Spokesman Bae Jun-young) made an oral comment, but it is complicated.

In a call with the JoongAng Ilbo, a member of the Welfare Committee’s People’s Strength said, “It is difficult to logically oppose the claim that the license of a doctor who committed violent crimes such as rape should be deprived. Also, it is not good for us that the image of being on the same side as the medical council shouting rejection of vaccination cooperation is also not good for us. There is no other way to oppose the bill or justification to support the agreement.”

However, the people’s strength is still critical of the government and the ruling party as to whether the medical law should have been revised at this point. Rep. Kang Ki-yoon, secretary of the Health and Welfare Committee of the People’s Strength, spoke with the JoongAng Ilbo on that day, saying, “If we did not participate in the discussion, it would have included both negligence and bankruptcy in business.” “Problems that arise when the Democratic Party passes the original bill I participated as a problem to minimize the problem.” He said, “Apart from the contents of the bill, it is a problem to pass the bill at this point when the medical staff is fighting the corona.”

Democratic Party lawmaker Shin Hyun-young, who was a former doctor and a member of the Welfare Committee, said in a call on the same day, “The law to deprive the license has been discussed since the time of the 20th National Assembly. There were many opportunities for the medical association to discuss seriously with the National Assembly from early on and coordinate their opinions, but bringing out a general strike after passing would not earn public trust. I hope to combine them.” The bill is expected to be handed over to the plenary session on the 26th after passing through the Legal Judicial Council.

Reporter Kim Jun-young [email protected]