복지부•의협 협의 실패…의협 "2차 집단휴진 강행"<br /><br />South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare has failed to reach consensus with the Korean Medical Association in regards to expanding the number of students in med schools.<br />As a result, doctors will push ahead with yet another nationwide strike next week<br />Hong Yoo reports.<br />Tens of thousands of doctors in South Korea will proceed with a second nationwide strike next Wednesday.<br />The strike, set for three days, is in protest to the government's plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical school.<br />The decision comes as they failed to reach consensus with the Health Ministry after two-hours of talks.<br />The ministry said it will continue to request communication, but the doctors are reluctant to keep talking.<br />As the country is currently experiencing a second wave of COVID-19, there's likely to be increased public anxiety over the lack of doctors on duty.<br />The Korean Medical Association made it clear that they would only resume talks when the government scraps its new medical workforce program.<br />The plan is to expand admission quotas at medical schools by 4-thousand over the next ten years starting in 2022, and to open a new public medical school.<br />Health Minister Park Neung-hoo told reporters after the meeting that they did not discuss scrapping the number of admission quotas, adding they are trying to discuss other options.<br />He added the ministry has requested that the association form a consultative group to further proceed with negotiations.<br />Doctors say the government must accept that it failed to cooperate with them in the process of drawing up a new medical policy.<br />The doctors say it's only then that they will be willing to resume talks with the government.<br />Hong Yoo, Arirang News.<br />
