Cancer patients form action committee

Amid the prolonged doctors' strike, patients stricken by cancer have come to the front for the protection of their rights to receive proper medical care.

Cancer patients, their family members and the bereaved relatives of the cancer patients got together at the office of the hall of the Citizens¡¯ Coalition for Economic Justice on Thursday and formed a political action committee for the protection of cancer patients in connection with the recent doctors' work stoppage.

The participants demanded that doctors resume operations on patients immediately and that they call off the general strike scheduled for Oct. 6.

The committee members complained that the medical circle promised to resume operations on cancer patients Sept. 14 but that most of patients have not received operations. The panel called for immediate resumption of the surgeries.

At the same time, they asked the government to establish a long-range health and medical development program based on accurate analysis of the current health and medical conditions.

Also Thursday, the representatives of the committee visited the Prime Minister's Office and the Korea Medical Association and delivered a list of 11 cancer patients who needed immediate surgery.

sya@donga.com