1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 164



Only Krnovel

Episode 164

Now the development of superconductors is out of my hands.

All I could do was hope that Professor Do Min-gu and the people at the Superconductivity Research Institute would do well in their research.

I decided to leave the development of superconductors to the research institute and focus on what I had to do for the rest of my term.

“Let’s start by finishing up today’s work.”

I was going through some of the payment documents that came in yesterday, and suddenly my head started to feel dizzy.

“eww……!”

I don’t know why, but my head has been feeling dizzy and I’ve been feeling dizzy a lot lately.

‘I think I should go to the hospital.’

Although there is a primary care physician, it is difficult to conduct a proper examination because there are no specialized medical facilities within the Blue House.

I went outside and talked to Director Oh.

“Chief Secretary, let’s cancel our afternoon schedule and go to the hospital for a bit.”

The chief secretary asks with a worried voice.

“Yes? Where does it hurt the most?”

It’s surprising because people usually don’t talk about being in pain even when they’re in pain.

“I’ve been having a headache lately. I think I should go get it checked out.”

“Okay, I’ll contact you right away.”

He calls the hospital right away without a moment’s hesitation.

And about an hour later, we arrive by car at a university hospital not far from the Blue House.

There was also a military hospital, but the chief secretary stubbornly insisted on going to the university hospital, so I made a reservation at the university hospital.

Although they use a place that VIPs use, different from the place that regular patients go to, you can also see other patients in the distance.

‘What is it? There are quite a lot of people.’

I can hear a loud noise from far away.

-No, I have to wait a few hours!

But, that thought is fleeting, as we go upstairs and undergo various tests such as X-rays and MRIs.

And after a while, the professor looked at the results sheet and explained them to me one by one.

“There are no major problems on X-ray, and there are no major problems on MRI. There are no particular abnormalities. However, since you are old, it would be better to avoid excessive overwork. I think the headache is probably due to overwork.”

“I see. I was worried you might have some kind of illness, but fortunately, you don’t.”

I put my clothes back on, feeling a little happy at the news that there was nothing wrong.

Then the doctor stops me for a moment.

“Oh, Mr. President. And there’s a little wound on your arm. While you’re here, why don’t you get it treated?”

“Are you alive? Oh… this is what you’re talking about.”

Perhaps he is referring to the wound on his left arm.

I got hurt last week, and because of my age, these types of wounds don’t heal naturally.

‘Come to think of it, I was nervous every time I showered.’

However, there was no need to treat such wounds here when I was so busy.

I shook my head as I spoke.

“It’s okay. You can just go back to the Blue House and get it treated.”

The doctor calmly persuades me.

“Of course, the Blue House infirmary is fine, and I know that the senior doctors working there are good people. However, if you go back to the Blue House, you will inevitably neglect your treatment. I think it would be better to get treatment while you are here.”

He spoke while taking out various tools needed for treating wounds.

“Mr. President, if we don’t treat this festering wound while it is still small, it will eventually grow bigger and cost us more.”

‘If you don’t treat a wound when it’s small, you’ll end up paying a bigger price… ‘

I thought about his words for a moment, then took off my coat and sat back down.

“Okay, then I’ll do it as soon as possible.”

The doctor answers with a smile.

“I will treat you as quickly and accurately as possible. Don’t worry.”

* * *

The next morning’s cabinet meeting.

Ministers from each ministry report.

It is Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Cheol-gyu’s turn, and he will begin his announcement from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

“Our Buddha’s special prohibition is… … .”

‘Now that I think about it… … .’

When I arrived at the hospital yesterday, I was concerned that there seemed to be an unusually large number of patients.

I interrupted the minister who was speaking and asked him a question.

“Just a moment, Minister. Let me hear your report in a bit, and then ask you one thing. Are there any recent shortages of doctors at hospitals?”

The minister is a little embarrassed.

“Ah, that’s… … .”

“Tell me your story.”

“Yes… In fact, recently there has been a severe shortage of doctors, especially in thoracic surgery, cardiovascular medicine, and general surgery.”

These were places that were originally called avoided regions in history.

‘But there are probably departments that are lacking more.’

“Is obstetrics and gynecology or pediatrics okay?”

“Yes. It’s not that much either, but it’s okay for now.”

Originally, these were the departments that had the greatest shortage of doctors in history, but in this history, the birth rate has been maintained at over 2 and there are many children, so it seems that this is being maintained to some extent.

“In addition to the aforementioned, as the overall elderly population increases, the absolute number of doctors is becoming increasingly insufficient.”

Compared to the original history, the population had increased and the birth rate had been maintained, but apart from that, more and more doctors were needed.

This is because, apart from the large number of young people, the elderly population is increasing as life expectancy increases.

Although it was an ideal-shaped population curve, as the absolute population and life expectancy increased, the elderly population was also increasing.

“How much is it lacking?”

The minister thinks for a moment and then answers.

“If we just look at the current trend of increase in the elderly population, we need to have more than 5,000 more doctors every year.”

* * *

After the State Council meeting, I returned to my office, canceled all my afternoon schedule, and indulged in some reading.

‘What should I do…?’

[Medical Reform]

It’s something you have to do once.

And if the power wasn’t as strong as it is now, it wouldn’t be an easy thing to do.

I’ve been putting it off because I thought it was a bit of a priority compared to more important policies, but maybe now is the time to do it.

Expanding medical school enrollment, separating dispensing and prescribing, allowing non-doctors to perform cosmetic procedures, installing CCTVs in operating rooms, and revoking medical licenses for those sentenced to prison.

This is roughly what I can think of.

A sigh comes out on its own.

“ha…….”

Some of these were policies that had been implemented in the past, but there were also bills that had been withdrawn due to strong opposition.

There will probably be a lot of backlash.

The backlash may be so great that even I, who have been in power for over 20 years, may not be able to handle it.

Medical reform is more difficult than prosecution or court reform.

Originally, every regime in history that attempted to reform healthcare encountered resistance from numerous doctors, and most eventually gave in to that resistance and failed to reform, or only reformed a portion of it while compromising more than originally intended.

But it must be done.

‘Well, there’s no way anything could be easy.’

If something has to be done, it is best done by someone with strong power and strong public support who can push policies through, like now.

‘If I don’t do it, it will be even more difficult for the presidents who come after me.’

I immediately called together the party leaders, floor leaders, and secretaries at the Blue House and began to create policies.

* * *

After a month of secret discussions, a reform plan was created.

And the policy was announced to the public through a spokesperson.

[Government Announces ‘Medical One-Shot Reform’. Includes Various Contents, Including Expanding Medical School Enrollment Quotas and Installing CCTVs in Operating Rooms – Tongil Ilbo]

[Now, when you are sentenced to prison, your medical license will be revoked. Goodbye to your eternal omnipotent qualification. – KBC]

[Strong opposition from medical groups and frontline doctors. – SBC]

And as expected, there was strong backlash.

The first to oppose it was a medical group called the Doctors’ Association.

As soon as this policy was announced, a group of doctors came out to Gwanghwamun and strongly condemned the government.

And among them, the one who stood at the forefront was the chairman of the group, Dr. Kim Won-gi.

“Everyone! The government is currently killing doctors! If they increase the number of doctors, take away the authority we had, and install CCTVs in operating rooms, how are we supposed to treat patients and perform surgeries?”

The doctors gathered at the protest cheered at Chairman Kim Won-gi’s speech.

“Kim Won-gi! Kim Won-gi!!”

Chairman Kim Won-ki, who has gained power, raises his voice even louder and condemns the government.

“President Kim Jung-guk must immediately stop the medical reforms being carried out in the name of ‘one-shot medical reform’!! Stop them!! If the government does not stop these medical reforms, it must know that it will face massive public resistance!!”

Once again, the doctors’ applause poured out toward him.

“Kim Won-gi! Kim Won-gi!!”

* * *

“Mr. President.”

The voice of Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Cheol-gyu is heard.

-The government must stop the medical reform immediately!!

I turned off the TV I was watching and told him to sit down.

Then he handed him the car and said,

“As expected, the resistance is stronger than I thought.”

The Minister of Health and Welfare is fidgeting at my words.

“I’m sorry… I tried to persuade you, but you’re being too hard on me.”

I asked the minister while drinking tea.

“How much do you think the medical community can accept?”

The minister hesitated for a while, unable to answer, then sighed deeply and answered.

“Haa… In fact, it is said that he absolutely cannot accept a single one of them.”

“Are you saying that you can’t even accept something like a driver’s license revocation law?”

This time, there were four major policies announced under the name of ‘one-shot medical reform.’

The first is to expand the number of medical school students.

The idea was to increase the number of medical school students by about 5,000 from the current number to prevent medical shortages for future generations.

The second is mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms.

The idea was to install CCTV in the operating room so that it could be used in case of a medical accident.

And the third is to expand the scope of cosmetic procedures, which are currently only permitted for general practitioners, to include nurses, oriental medicine doctors, and dentists.

This policy was intended to reduce the current excessive concentration of doctors in the cosmetic field.

And the last one is the law to revoke medical licenses.

Medical License Revocation Act.

This wasn’t difficult at all.

It was a really simple bill.

In short, it was a bill that would revoke a medical license if a court confirmed a prison sentence.

In fact, I thought this last bill would be the one that would get the least pushback.

But I never imagined that even the revocation of a medical license would cause such a backlash.

“Are you saying that you can’t even accept something like a driver’s license revocation law?”

“yes…….”

A sigh escaped me.

“Huh, right… … .”

I spoke to the minister as if I was confessing my feelings.

“Is there any other profession in the world where one can keep one’s job even after serving a prison sentence, other than being a doctor?”

It’s the same for company employees, civil servants, and soldiers.

If you commit a crime that carries a prison sentence, it’s natural that you’ll be fired from your job, and you’ll usually be unable to return to that industry.

However, it was quite common for doctors to receive prison sentences but later return to their careers as medical professionals.

I expected some level of opposition to the medical school quota system or the cosmetic procedures for medical professionals other than doctors, since it was a matter of their livelihoods, but I never imagined they would react this way to something like the license revocation law.

The minister speaks carefully to me, who has my head wrapped.

“And they say that if policies are implemented while ignoring them, they will even go on strike.”

‘Is this how it’s going to end up… … .’