[Editorial] Residents' protracted strike must end

We deeply regret that the state of the total paralysis of medical services gets more prolonged due to the residents` action to put a brake on the striking physicians` negotiation package with the government. To put in a nutshell our conclusive views on the issue, the striking residents must not take the unreasonable attitude to attach riders before they even start negotiations.

Physicians must realize that they must cease to make their unilateral claims but make every effort to reach an agreement by hammering out the mutual differences among all the parties concerned --doctors, pharmacists, the government and the people. Whether or not their demands are right must be discussed with them, be their demands the rewriting of the already revised Pharmaceutical Law to ensure the elimination of the pharmacists` substitute or discretionary drug dispensation, or the postponement of implementing the new system to separate doctors` professional roles from chemists until the probationary period expires on early next year for pharmacists` over-the-counter sale of unpacked individual pills. But, the postponement would be tantamount to virtual nullification of the new system.

Only a negotiated settlement points to the right way here. But, the residents are unreasonable in making intractable demands on the release of imprisoned doctors and the revocation of arrest warrants as their precondition for any initiations of talks with the government. The residents may argue for the release of the imprisoned doctors and deletion of some doctors` names from the wanted list on the ground that they were merely scapegoats of the government`s flawed medical policies. This should not be made any terms of settlement because it raises the issue of the law-enforcement`s partiality.

The issue may be left to a later negotiation after they first dissolve the strikes and restore the paralyzed medical services. The residents` inflexible attitude may make indifferent the general public`s enormous concern which has so far been critical of the government`s flawed health and medical services that have already incurred no small amount of the public`s sacrifice and spending.

The residents` miserable working conditions like a monthly income of less than two million won for some 70-80 work hours per week are relatively well known. We also understand their anger and frustrations against the society`s atmosphere that tends to demand their one-sided sacrifices without any due recognition and better treatment as a specialist.

But, they must realize that the inadequacy of our medical services was accumulated over many decades. It cannot be righted overnight. Their frustrations and anger should not render them any cause making them appear indifferent to patients` sufferings and pains. That is not a right attitude for these young doctors to take in view of their future role to assume the leadership of our medical community.

The residents must follow what their seniors urged them to do. They must return to their patients as soon as possible and to fulfill their professional duties as a physician. They must listen to what their senior advised them in lamenting about them: ¡°Doctors who lose the people`s confidence are staking to lose all and everything. For whom are they waging a fight? Is it their youthful venting of anger that makes them determined for a long-protracted struggle? They must bring to an immediate end to a war that would inflict only no one but the people with enormous suffering and undue sacrifice.`` We urge the residents` exercise of wisdom to make a wise decision here.