The Korea Medical Association is a
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ...
in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. It claims to represent about two-thirds of the country's
doctor
Doctor or The Doctor may refer to:
Personal titles
* Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree
* A medical practitioner, including:
** Physician
** Surgeon
** Dentist
** Veterinary physician
** Optometrist
*Other roles
** ...
s.
In June 2000, the Association organised an indefinite
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
* Strike (surname)
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
*Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
in protest of government
health reforms. On March 10, 2014 it organised a one-day strike in opposition to the government's plans to introduce
telemedicine and against medical regulations they claimed infringed upon physicians' professional autonomy. In August 2020, in the midst of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
with its cases increasing in Korea, the Association organised a 3-day strike and its
Korean Intern and Resident Association indefinite strike in protest of government' plan to increase the number of doctors over the next decade rejecting the government's return-to-work order.
The Association publishes the ''Journal of the Korea Medical Association''. Volume 60 was published in March 2017.
A report by the Association's Research Institute for Healthcare Policy in 2022 found that 6,095 medical doctors were charged with professional negligence resulting in death or injury between 2011 and 2018 - far more than in other countries.
References
Trade unions in South Korea
Healthcare trade unions
Medical and health organizations based in South Korea
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