Interior minister Lee Sang-min says that the government will push ahead with its planned medical reforms to revive regional and essential medical services. 

The minister reaffirmed the stance on Wednesday while presiding over a government meeting on doctors’ collective action, saying that normalizing regional medical care, which is currently in a state of crisis, is essential as it is the country's constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and health of the people.

Lee said that out of the country’s 226 local municipalities, 98, or over 40 percent of them are vulnerable areas in terms of emergency medical care, and there is not a single emergency medicine specialist in ten of the 18 cities and counties in South Gyeongsang Province. 

Still, the minister underscored the government’s intent to actively listen to opinions from the medical community and engage in dialogue in the process of pursuing the reform. 

He urged doctors’ groups to take part in a presidential special committee on medical reform, which is set to hold its inaugural meeting on Thursday.