Government Warns Doctors Actions Jeopardizing Patients’ Lives Cannot be Justified

In response to the ongoing collective actions by the medical community, the government stressed that illegal acts that jeopardize the lives and health of patients cannot be justified.

Lee Han-kyung, the interior ministry’s chief disaster management official, made the remarks on Thursday, noting that some doctors are discussing or announcing their “illegal act” of refusing treatment.

The official urged any patients who suffered damage due to a refusal of treatment to contact the damage report center by dialing 129, assuring that both the central and local governments will do their best to protect and support them.

Lee also called on doctors to prioritize the value of people’s lives in all decision-making, as it is their privilege to save lives.

He further urged the trainee doctors and medical professors who left their workplaces to return, adding that all junior doctors who return will not face any legal measures.