1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 168



Only Krnovel

Episode 168

In the age of smartphones, rumors spread quickly.

The story that several executives, including Kim Won-ki, the president of the doctors’ association, were arrested was shared by most of the doctors.

Eventually, as these rumors spread, the fear that if they went on strike they would really be arrested and even sentenced to prison arose, and most doctors gave up the strike.

However, some media outlets took a critical stance, saying that the government was being too aggressive.

[The government’s hard-line stance against doctors’ protests is reminiscent of the military dictatorship era. – SBC]

[The government should immediately release the detained doctors and sit down at the negotiating table with the doctors. – Northeast Asia Newspaper]

‘It’s not that we’re not sitting at the negotiating table… … .’

I put down the newspaper I was reading and started working on the carrot for doctors.

‘You can’t just keep whipping people forever.’

For now, it may seem like the doctors’ discontent has subsided with the arrest of the leaders of the doctors’ association, but unless there is a fundamental compromise, it is clear that the issue will eventually surface again.

I held a discussion with about 100 medical professionals representing various fields, including not only doctors but also pharmacists, nurses, and oriental medicine doctors.

And when I arrived at the discussion, the person who stood out the most was Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol, whom I had met at Korea University when I had recently visited for treatment.

As soon as I sat down on my chair, I greeted him happily as I saw him sitting in front of me.

“Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol, I’ll see you here again.”

As soon as he greeted me, he asked me about my previous injury in a doctor-like manner.

“Yes… Hello. Are you okay with the injury from last time?”

“Thank you, my treatment is going well. Thank you.”

After everyone’s brief greetings, Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol stands up first and begins to speak.

“The doctors here think I am unconditionally in favor of this reform, but that is not true. I do not think that simply increasing the number of doctors is the only good method.”

I looked at Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol and asked.

“Then, Professor, what do you think is the biggest problem?”

“The biggest problem that I feel in the field right now is that there is a severe shortage of doctors in essential medical fields. Even in the cardiovascular department where I work, there is a severe shortage of applicants for next year. Most doctors want to work in large dermatology departments, not in essential medical departments at university hospitals.”

I thought about it for a moment and then asked him.

“What do you think is the reason for that? Is it because of the reward for the work?”

“Isn’t compensation always relative? It’s hard to say that university hospitals pay less than regular office workers, but if you compare it to the money you earn by getting a job at a dermatology clinic or opening a plastic surgery clinic, life balance and such are both lacking.”

I grabbed the microphone again and spoke to Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol.

“So, aren’t you trying to increase the number of doctors?”

The professor shakes his head at my story.

“Even if we simply increase the number of doctors, I don’t think those people will come to the department they avoid if they are treated the same way as they are now.”

‘Something more is needed.’

I stood up, grabbed the microphone, and spoke to the doctors.

“Doctors, isn’t that why I came here to negotiate? You said compensation was the issue. What do you think about this?”

I swallowed for a moment and continued speaking.

“We will significantly increase the cost of essential medical services.”

The doctors sitting behind me are in an uproar at the mention of raising essential medical fees.

This was especially welcome news for doctors working in the department of orthopedics.

“Of course, there may be a certain increase in health insurance, but the government will bear more of the increase. In short, we will not pass the responsibility for this reform solely on to doctors. The government, the people, and doctors will all make concessions to create future-oriented medical care.”

The increase in health insurance premiums will not be high. It will be an increase that the public can accept.

The rest was a matter of utilizing the vast surplus resources the government had.

I drank a glass of water that was next to me and spoke again.

“If there are any areas where we can compromise, such as the issue of increasing the number of medical school students or other issues, I will compromise. So please feel free to express your opinions. I came here to compromise, not to force the government’s plan.”

One of the doctors who heard my story raised his hand and spoke.

“I am Professor Hae-Cheon Lee of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Habarab University. Regarding this increase in medical school enrollment, I would like to say that it is not just about increasing the number of medical school enrollment, but also about local medical care… … .”

Afterwards, many stories came out not only from doctors, but also from pharmacists, nurses, and representatives of oriental medicine doctors.

“Representative of local nurses. I am Hye-seon Lee, a nurse at Gwangju University. You mentioned the problem of the number of doctors this time, but the shortage of nurses is also serious… … .”

Fortunately, the negotiations went smoothly.

Now that the radicals are gone, we are ready to listen to each other and reach a consensus.

‘This is what politics is like.’

And after several days of long discussions, an agreement was submitted.

It was a negotiation in which not only doctors but also all medical professionals, including pharmacists and nurses, participated.

We have completed negotiations on the increase in essential medical fees, the separation of dispensing and prescribing, and, in some ways, the most important issue, the increase in the number of medical schools.

In the case of increasing the number of medical school students, it was agreed to reduce the number of students from 5,000 to 4,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the existing government plan.

Although it was a bit disappointing, this number was enough to solve the medical gap problem that would arise in the future to some extent.

And in the case of skin care, surprisingly, there were quite a few doctors who were in favor of allowing medical professionals other than doctors to do so.

It seems that there are quite a few doctors who do not like the fact that doctors are flocking only to dermatology departments.

However, this was not made available to all medical professionals.

A compromise was reached whereby it was only possible if one received a set education.

Since then, compromises have been made in many areas.

However, there were certainly areas where the government took a decisive stance.

“Mr. President, now that the agreement has been reached, can you please release Chairman Kim Won-gi and the executives of the doctors’ association… … .”

I shook my head and spoke firmly.

“That is absolutely not possible. Of course, there will be changes to the charges, but we cannot erase everything. If we let them off like this because we agreed, there is a chance that the same thing will happen again next time, taking patients hostage.”

You should definitely know that being a doctor does not mean you will be punished less for the same crime, so that you do not play with the lives of patients like this again.

At that time, Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol, who had been quiet, cautiously asked me a favor.

“Mr. President, even if you cannot help but punish the doctors who participated in the strike, wouldn’t it be possible to at least ease the punishment for the medical students who took a leave of absence?”

‘Medical students… … .’

Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol bows his head and asks me a favor.

“Please. Among the students who have been granted leave of absence this time, there are also first-year students who have just become adults. What would those students know so much about and participate in the leave of absence?”

“That’s unexpected. I never thought Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol would ask me for something like this.”

He answers with a deep sigh.

“I am also a professor at the medical school of Korea University, and I am a senior to these students. I am not just hanging out at the homes of students who are currently on leave. Most of them are studying hard, even if it means coming to the university library. And this is not just for the students. It is also for the people.”

I was a little surprised by the unexpected answer and asked back.

“For the people?”

“There are 300 students who have been placed on leave of absence at Korea University alone. And I don’t think this is just a problem at Korea University.”

The medical school professors sitting behind me all nodded.

“And if these students are actually subject to leave of absence, the number of people who can take the medical exam starting next year will be drastically reduced. Then, this will inevitably have an impact on the shortage of medical professionals starting next year.”

“Umm… … .”

That made sense.

The number of arrested doctors was small, so their actual impact on medical practice was minimal, but the medical students’ problem was different.

It was clear that problems would arise starting next year.

However, there were issues of responsibility and fairness.

Professor Lee Hyeong-cheol begs me as I am troubled.

“Please. Of course, it is true that the students did wrong, and it is also true that they are adults and should take responsibility for their own mistakes. However, some of the students who participated in this leave of absence were really forced to participate by their seniors. Please understand.”

I thought about it for a moment and then answered.

“That makes sense. If all the medical students who are currently on leave are processed for leave, there will definitely be problems starting this year when you take the national medical exam. And as this professor said, there will be students who participated against their will but were forced to.”

“Mr. President… … !”

I proposed the government’s plan with conditions attached.

“However, simply canceling the leave of absence would be unfair to other students who did not take a leave of absence, and there are other issues. Therefore, in order to be fair to other students who did not take a leave of absence, I will conditionally allow the cancellation of the leave of absence, such as by reducing grades and taking additional classes in the winter semester.”

The professor nods.

“That’s enough. Students should also take responsibility for what they do. Thank you.”

Fortunately, the issue of healthcare reform, which had been temporarily sealed, was resolved through an agreement and put to a vote by medical professionals.

The result was an overwhelming passage with 74% in favor.

It was a vote that signaled the success of health care reform.

* * *

Just when health care reform was over and most of the pressing issues were thought to be over, big problems began to surface, starting with American politics.

The current president of the United States is not Bush.

Originally, Bush should have been elected due to various security issues, but unlike the original history, the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers did not occur, and the economy worsened due to the trade deficit with Korea, so he failed to be re-elected.

And while the person who should have been elected to that position would have been the first black president of the United States, Obama, the person who ended up being elected in the 2004 US presidential election was a truly unexpected person.

The man who won the US presidential election in the winter of 2004 was none other than a large, blond-haired man.

“Make America Great Again”

The worst president in American history was elected through incitement.

It also debuted 10 years earlier than the original history.