Military Doctors' Refusal: Emergency Room Crisis Explained

Military doctors refuse emergency room work due to fear of immense compensation liabilities and recognizing their limits.

### The Crisis of Military Doctors: Incompetence, Compensation, and Accountability
* 💼 The increase in doctors' salaries is driven by the **looming threat of compensation claims**, which can reach **up to 1.7 billion won** in case of medical errors.
* ⚔ Military doctors express frustration as they witness their mentors leaving the field, feeling they are playing "**Russian roulette**" with their careers and responsibilities.
* 🚑 The Ministry of Health and Welfare's attempt to impose disciplinary actions on military doctors for refusing emergency room duties sparked **significant controversy** and was quickly **retracted**.
* 📉 Recognizing one's limitations is essential in the medical field; incompetence should not be a crime, but **recklessness leading to accidents** is.
* 💰 Compensation for medical accidents is often perceived as minimal, with institutions liable for only **20 million won**, while actual compensation claims can **soar into the billions**.
* 🛡 To mitigate financial risks, hospitals have enrolled in group insurance policies that **cover up to 200 million won**, but this still leaves a **substantial gap in liability coverage**.
* ⚖ Recent court rulings have highlighted the **disparity in compensation amounts**, reinforcing the fear among medical professionals about the **repercussions of potential negligence**.
* 📅 As the healthcare system faces a crisis, the underlying issues of **incompetence and administrative recklessness** must be addressed to prevent further deterioration.

The increase in doctors' salaries has its reasons. If a problem arises, the compensation is 1.7 billion won. If you are confident, come in. This is what we are discussing. In the meantime, military doctors see their mentors and seniors getting frustrated and leaving, thinking, I am now playing Russian roulette. They feel like they are holding a gun in their hands, and it's said to them, You are the only one who can do this. You are currently fulfilling your duty to defend the country, so you have to do it. They express that they can't shoot because they are afraid of making a mistake and having to pay compensation of 1 billion or 1.7 billion won. 

Hello, I am Yoon Na-ri. Today, the topic I want to discuss is the controversy surrounding military doctors refusing to work in emergency rooms. From the perspective of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, military doctors are refusing to work in the emergency rooms of higher-level hospitals.

They talked about imposing a disciplinary action, and when that became controversial, they immediately withdrew it. It seems like they were testing the waters, but it’s an absurd situation. From the perspective of public officials, they might think, “Why should we be careful?” However, the reality is that when one’s abilities reach their limits, they must honestly acknowledge that they cannot meet certain demands. A person could die or become disabled; admitting this is not a crime. Incompetence is not a crime. I believe that failing to recognize one's incompetence and recklessly proceeding with tasks, which then escalate into accidents or problems, is the real wrongdoing. Knowing one’s limits is crucial. Why would a professional not be able to handle an emergency? Because they are professionals, they understand their limitations, which is why they say they cannot do it. But why can’t a specialist in emergency medicine handle it?

When you look at them, they are in emergency medicine in volleyball, and they need to triage patients with broken noses or other injuries. However, since all the professors are currently unavailable, there aren't many other professors to notify. There are no residents either, so they have to manage things in the emergency room, but if something goes wrong, it could cost millions. I can't take that kind of responsibility, and that's what I'm trying to say. 

So, today, I want to talk about two things. The first is that being incompetent is not a crime, but recklessly doing your job and causing accidents out of arrogance is a crime. The second point is that this is a problem because when issues arise while working in the emergency room, the compensation amounts are beyond what the general public imagines. This makes it difficult to work carelessly. 

First, let's take a look at the article regarding the government's disciplinary actions against emergency room refusals.

They are discussing this issue, which was mentioned just a couple of days ago. There was a controversy regarding the process of delivering responses that were miscommunicated. This is now September 8th, and today is September 9th. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that military doctors dispatched to address the emergency medical gap are refusing to work in the emergency room. In response, they stated that they would consult with the Ministry of National Defense regarding disciplinary actions against these military doctors, but this announcement sparked controversy and was retracted just two hours later. The Korean Medical Association criticized the government for issuing hasty orders and threats, stating that the government needs to wake up. Following the announcement of the disciplinary policy, there was backlash against the government's decision to force non-specialists to work in the emergency room, threatening disciplinary actions if they refused, which was deemed an unfair measure. Ultimately, just two hours after mentioning the disciplinary actions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare clarified in a written response that the information had been miscommunicated regarding the refusal of military doctors to work in the emergency room.

The Ministry of National Defense has changed its stance, stating that it is not reviewing disciplinary actions. The ministry also mentioned that it has not received any requests from the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding disciplinary measures related to violations of work orders by dispatched military personnel. Many military doctors cite the burden of potential medical accidents as one of the reasons for refusing to work in emergency situations. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that in cases where liability arises from the actions of military doctors and public health officials, 65 medical institutions submitted liability waivers in April, indicating that the respective medical institutions would bear the responsibility. To alleviate the financial burden on hospitals, they have also enrolled in a group insurance policy that provides coverage up to 200 million won. Let me clarify a point: currently, there has been an issue with public officials regarding accidents. It may be difficult for the Ministry of Health and Welfare to understand why military doctors are deployed to work in emergency rooms, as this is a hierarchical expectation for public servants.

I said I would impose a disciplinary action, but I immediately backed down. Why? Because the situation became controversial. It's not my area of expertise. I only have experience in one specific thing, but suddenly, for example, they want me to make jajangmyeon at a high-level hospital, or to create a dish that is not even comparable to jajangmyeon. They are telling me to create something like that. The quality at a high-level hospital is very high. To put it simply, the demands are beyond what I can handle. I’ve never even touched it, and I’ve never tasted it. So, from the perspective of a public servant, I would have pretended to be willing, saying, “I want to do it too.” But when problems arise, there will inevitably be customers who are expecting something. However, whether it's the Shilla Hotel or the Chosun Hotel, they have certain expectations.

There are expectations when it comes to hotels, but if food without meat is served, it leads to complaints. Yes, you have to pay for it, and they are talking about liability for damages, but that's not the issue. It could be a matter of trust. The problem, as I see it, is that the public health officers are saying they genuinely cannot perform their duties due to incompetence. Public officials need to understand this clearly: recognizing incompetence is not a crime. Incompetence is not a crime, but arrogance is a crime. Right now, public officials are pushing for medical reform, but they are doing so through discipline and threats, which is not illegal. However, the social repercussions of this should really be felt on a personal level. This is what I truly want to talk about today. If they can't do it, they should just say they can't. Otherwise...

If this is going to be a social issue, then they should say it is a problem. I just got away with it, so I have no guilt; I just act mechanically. In the emergency room, when an accident happens, they immediately compensate hundreds of millions or even billions. From the public servants' perspective, for example, in the current medical contracts, there are issues arising right now. They can't deny it; they can't say it's not happening. This is just the beginning. Today marks the start of a medical crisis. With Chuseok approaching, it's about to begin. The question is whether the Ministry of Insurance, the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Education, or the President's office feel any guilt. They probably won't; they won't take responsibility. The doctors are different; compensation judgments have been set at 1.7 billion won. Now they are compensating 20 million won.

I would like to announce that 200 million won is meaningless compared to this. What about the remaining 15 won? Let's read the article a bit more. In the case of a medical accident involving a dispatched military doctor, the medical institution is liable for 20 million won. Honestly, 20 million won is really nothing. If you ask whether 20 million won is a huge amount, I have no words. When judges make rulings on compensation for medical accidents, they often say that 20 million won is just pocket change. Compensation amounts can go up to 1.7 billion won. Medical institutions that have caused harm are covered by group insurance that allows for compensation of up to 200 million won per case, so the burden on hospitals is not expected to be too heavy. They only need to compensate 200 million won, but what about the remaining amount? Is that military doctor going to cover it personally? Additionally, civil suits will continue to follow like a tail.

On the 8th, they said they would provide complete immunity in health and welfare, but even if there is complete immunity, from the perspective of a student, at least if you are a specialist or a doctor, there could be some kind of personal responsibility. Therefore, I cannot accept that I was unable to treat this person. There is a lack of medical professionals, and I literally have to go in alone. At that point, you would need about 20 years of experience as a real doctor. If I were to genuinely defend a high-level hospital alone, I would need to have connections. People who are currently managing everything, those who are working tirelessly, are starting to feel the limits of their strength. They have endured as much as they could, and now they are quitting. According to the health and welfare guidelines on the 8th, since the 4th, 250 soldiers have been deployed to the emergency medical field as replacements.

When a medical accident occurs due to negligence, the personnel are exempt from liability. In the case of substitute personnel, if negligence leads to liability, the medical institution is responsible for the compensation. A liability waiver was issued to 65 institutions in April. Furthermore, to alleviate the burden of medical accident compensation for hospitals, they have also enrolled in group insurance that covers liability. Accordingly, a total compensation limit of 2 billion won per case has been established, allowing for a total coverage of 20 billion won. Since the limit is 2 billion won, it seems that compensation is now possible for up to ten cases. Speaking of the article, it was decided that the medical institution would bear a responsibility of 20 million won for negligence by dispatched personnel. I want to explain why I refer to this as a mere pocket change; it’s because the government’s perspective on compensation for patients who are not yet fully skilled in their care is still not fully professional.

No, unless you are an emergency specialist or a complete professional in emergency medicine, you cannot charge 100 per day without having at least 15 to 20 years of experience. In a way, it would be like a junior step, and you wouldn't be able to handle it. It has to be done professionally, and that’s fine. I am thinking about the compensation for patients, around 200 million won. Let's look at an article from January 20, 2023. It says that a university hospital was ordered to pay 570 million won in compensation after a patient became a vegetable within just one hour in the emergency room. Each individual's circumstances may vary, but the fact is that people go to the emergency room when their lives are in danger. As Deputy Minister Park Min-soo said, they might not even be able to make a phone call, and it has to be really serious for them to go. So, they went because it was serious, but then they became a vegetable, and they were hit with a compensation of 570 million won. This was on December 27, 2023, in civil and criminal cases.

I hope that the emergency medical field takes responsibility. Yes, it is being closed off. The judiciary also needs to have a sense of responsibility and consider what kind of mess they are making. They might feel pity for the patients and their guardians, thinking it's unfortunate to impose damages of 1 billion or 1.7 billion won. However, the judiciary is not free from the social repercussions of such decisions. The fearsome judgments of the judiciary are collapsing, especially concerning the implementation of compensation judgments in the range of 1 billion won. This is an article from January 2, 2024. Here, the summary of the verdict results has been presented, highlighting several cases. In March 2023, the Suwon High Court ruled in a case regarding damages due to excessive bleeding during childbirth, awarding 1 billion and 680 million won in compensation. In July 2023, in Suwon...

The local court imposed a compensation of 1.2 billion won for the damages related to the delivery, involving a woman who suffered from paralysis. In August 2023, the Supreme Court sentenced a doctor to six months in prison, suspended for two years, in a criminal case regarding negligent injury related to conservative treatment of a patient with long-term complications. In September 2023, the Seoul Eastern District Court ruled that 800 million won should be compensated in a lawsuit concerning the detachment of the aorta during gastrointestinal heart surgery. In the same month, the Seoul Central District Court ordered 1.7 billion won in damages in a lawsuit where a thoracic radiologist failed to inform a patient about vascular issues. In December 2023, the Supreme Court sentenced a doctor to six months in prison, suspended for two years, in a criminal case concerning negligent homicide for failing to diagnose a patient with aortic dissection in the emergency room. The Ministry of Health and Welfare recognizes that there is a significant difference in how patient compensations are perceived. In a way, this can be seen as a process of normalization.

I can speak frankly. Patients are receiving compensation of 1 billion or 1.2 billion, and with sentences like 6 months in prison being handed down, it results in compensation claims of 1.7 billion. This is causing many to withdraw from the situation, thinking, I can't handle this. This is why doctors' salaries are increasing; there is a reason for it. When problems arise, it's about facing compensation claims of 1.7 billion. If you are confident, you should come forward. Meanwhile, military doctors witness their mentors and seniors becoming disheartened and leaving the field. They feel like they are playing Russian roulette, holding a gun in their hands and being told, You are the only one who can do this. You are currently fulfilling your duty to the nation, and if you fail, you will be liable for compensation of 1 billion or 1.7 billion.

This is about whether this can really happen. Ultimately, this could mean that through a genuine collapse of the healthcare system, the rotten issues within the medical field could gradually become public knowledge and begin to be resolved. The Ministry of Health and Welfare says that compensation should only be provided up to a certain point, which they consider to be the limit. For example, if someone gets vaccinated against COVID-19 and then files a lawsuit against the government, they will likely lose. Therefore, you shouldn't sue the government. The government is also saving on taxes, so they won't provide support in such cases. In the past, when someone got injured, the response was different. If someone felt they were about to die, they would go to the emergency room. If they died there, they could file a lawsuit and receive compensation. This could lead to a misunderstanding that one should just go to the emergency room, and within an hour of arriving, they would be taken care of.

They received 570 million won just because they treated a person who was literally dying in the emergency room. Isn't that absurd? This situation happened in South Korea, and it’s been outrageous. This is why the emergency medical staff, including military doctors, are refusing to work. The Ministry of Health and Welfare can't simply say, Hey, you're soldiers, why aren't you doing this? That's not the situation at all. As I mentioned before, if this continues, Chinese doctors will eventually come in, and they will be fully protected. Not just Chinese doctors, but military doctors as well.

You said the doctor would come in, but this military doctor, I’m not saying anything against him, is not a complete professional. Right now, they’re trying to operate with a ratio of 1 to 100 at a general hospital, and because they’re scared, they’re raising their hands and saying they can’t do it. It’s the same situation as when people come out of China, saying, I’m completely exempt, I don’t know, and then they just casually say they might have to go back to China. So, I want to emphasize that the fundamental issue is not the increase in medical school admissions. In fact, it’s the problems that have been underlying, such as essential medical care and emergency medical services, and the judicial rulings that have clearly been problematic. These issues have been piling up, and increasing the number of medical students isn’t going to resolve everything.

The testimony from the medical school has led to a medical crisis that has been unfolding for six to seven months, and now all the pus that has been building up is finally coming out. I am currently contemplating this situation deeply, and it seems that everything will eventually be touched upon. Ultimately, this won't be resolved in just a month or two. According to the Minister of Education, it is claimed that we will have to endure for another six months, so I believe that this time, all the real issues in the medical field will finally be exposed.

As I mentioned earlier, incompetence is not a crime, but recklessness is. I believe that if a medical collapse occurs under the current administration, it will not be due to illegal elements related to medical contracts, but rather a misuse of administrative authority by the government. It is simply a matter of incompetence.

This could serve as a pretext; it will literally be an excuse. They will now catch some small illegal items and the opposition will use that to create public sentiment, which could strongly shake the regime. As I mentioned, from the perspective of the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Ministry of Education, it's not just about whether they knew or not; the issue is that they acted without understanding the legal and illegal elements. While they might not have been aware, they should have known better. Acting recklessly or pushing things forward without proper expertise could lead to a serious collapse of the healthcare system. Public officials should feel some sense of guilt. Even if they acted under orders, just covering it up and saying, I did my job as a public servant, is not enough.

Now is the time for a social medical crisis, and I don't think it can be resolved in ten years. Yes, I see the government is constantly talking about medical advisory bodies, but honestly, I believe that when they say let's talk, it's not going to be solved through dialogue. I have clearly stated that they should not just talk but find solutions. If they don't do that, it won't work. Anyway, today I am discussing why we are refusing to work in emergencies. I am saying that it cannot be resolved through discussions. Even if we have 250 or 2,500 soldiers, it absolutely will not work. See you next time.

응급실 근무 거부하는 군의관 feat. 무능은 죄가 아니다. 만용이 죄다.

안과의사 + 전 의대교수 + 전 대학병원 홍보실장 + 광고 디자이너 + 1인 유튜버 
= 유일무이한 다재다능 캐릭터가 되기 위해 노력 중입니다. 

과거와는 다르게, 한 사람이 여러가지를 다 잘 할 수 있는 세상이 왔고, 그것은 유튜브를 통한 학습 덕분입니다.

앞으로는 멀티페르소나 (부캐) 를 가진 사람 만이 생존할 수 있다고 생각하기에 
많은 분들과 유튜브 학습의 꿀팁을 공유하고 싶습니다.

한양대학교 의과대학 졸업
서울대학교 의과대학 안과학 박사 수료
한양대학교병원 인턴, 안과 레지던트
서울대학교병원 안과 임상강사
인제대학교 서울백병원 안과 조교수
서울백병원 홍보실장

백병원 굿닥터 선정
보건복지부 장관 표창
육군훈련소 교육대장 표창
한국망막학회 동계심포지움 우수연제상
대한안과학회 정회원
한국망막학회 정회원
백내장굴절수술학회 정회원
미국 시과학학회(ARVO) 회원
Languages : English, Chinese




유튜브가 낳은 의대교수였던 - 유나으리

The Controversy Surrounding Military Doctors and Emergency Room Refusals

Military doctors are facing pressure to work in emergency rooms, with high compensation amounts for mistakes causing frustration and fear.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's attempt to impose disciplinary actions on these doctors sparked controversy and backlash, leading to a retraction of the threat.

The situation highlights the importance of recognizing one's limitations and the challenges of managing emergency medical care with insufficient staff.

The Ministry of National Defense's Shift on Disciplinary Actions

The Ministry of National Defense has stated it is not reviewing disciplinary actions and has not received requests from the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding violations by military personnel.

Military doctors are hesitant to work in emergencies due to the potential for medical accidents, while 65 medical institutions have submitted liability waivers to bear responsibility.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's push for medical reform through discipline and threats is causing social repercussions, with a medical crisis anticipated as Chuseok approaches.

The Insufficient Compensation for Medical Accidents

The 200 million won compensation for medical accidents is deemed meaningless, with judges often considering 20 million won as pocket change.

Medical institutions are covered by group insurance for up to 200 million won per case, alleviating their financial burden.

The government's approach to patient compensation and the lack of experienced medical professionals contribute to the ongoing challenges in providing adequate care and support.

The Impact of Judicial Decisions on the Emergency Medical Field

The emergency medical field is facing increasing pressure due to hefty compensation judgments, with the judiciary's decisions having significant social repercussions.

Recent verdicts have awarded millions in damages for medical negligence, leading to a rise in doctors' salaries and causing many to withdraw from the field.

Military doctors are particularly affected, witnessing their mentors leave and feeling the weight of potential liability for large compensation claims.

The Crisis in South Korea's Healthcare System

The collapse of the healthcare system in South Korea is exposing deep-rooted issues within the medical field.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's limited compensation policy and the government's tax savings are hindering support for those affected.

The refusal of emergency medical staff, including military doctors, to work is exacerbating the crisis, and simply increasing medical school admissions will not resolve the underlying problems.

The medical crisis, triggered by testimony from the medical school, has been building for six to seven months and is expected to take another six months to resolve.

The situation is characterized by incompetence and reckless administrative actions, rather than illegal medical contracts.

The government's approach of relying on dialogue and advisory bodies is seen as insufficient to address the deep-rooted issues in the healthcare system.