Doctors to return to work

Indications that the medical crisis is likely to be resolved are becoming apparent, with doctors returning to work and adopting a flexible stance towards the preconditions for talks with the government, including the release of their imprisoned compatriots.

Representatives from the national association of medical university professors, the conference of the full-time doctors ( ÀüÀÓÀÇÇùÀÇȸ) and the ¡°emergency countermeasure committee'' of medical students nationwide met in the morning on Friday and agreed to delegate their negotiating authority, including alleviating the preconditions to resuming negotiations with the government, to the emergency sub-committee of 10 joint representatives under the Korea Medical Association.

However, an official among the striking doctors asserted that the sub-committee will need to have their proposals approved by the members and that they will not immediately end the strike even if the sub-committee resumes talks with the government.

In addition, the committee for presidents of private medical institutions sent out a plea to striking residents on the same day. The committee acknowledged the striking residents¡¯ efforts for the true medical practice in the statement, but asked them to immediately return to work, asserting that their struggle must be based on the people¡¯s trust and support.

At the committee meeting in the Hilton Hotel, Seoul, presidents of medical institutions warned that if residents did not return to work, they would be subject to serious penalties according to the training regulations for residents, which punish residents absent from training for more than 2 months. The presidents demanded that the residents return to work by the Sept. 25 deadline.