보건복지부가 13일 진주의료원 해산안에 대해 경남도의회에 재의를 요구한데 홍준표 경남도지사는 사실상 거부의사를 표명했다.
경남도의회는 야권 의원들과 보건의료노조원들의 격렬한 반대도 불구하고 지난 11일 임시 본회의를 열어 새누리 당 의원을 주축으로 진주의료원 해산을 명시한 ‘경남도의료원 설립 및 운영 조례 일부 개정안을 상정, 가결했다. 이에 보건복지부와 국회가 제동을 건 것이다.
홍 지사는 13일 오후 경남도청 프레스센터에서 간담회를 열고 재의 요구 “그 자체가 도지사의 행위를 귀속하지 않는다”며 “진주의료원 해산 근거가 되는 ‘경남도 의료원 설립 및 운영 조례 일부 개정안’이 상위법을 위반했는지 여부를 검토한 후 보건복지부의 재의요구를 받아들일 것인지, 11일 통과한 조례를 공포할 것인지 결정하겠다“고 밝혔다.
한편, 국회는 ‘공공의료 정상화를 위한 국정조사특별위원회’를 구성해 7월 13일까지 진주 의료원 사태를 검증하겠다고 밝혔다. 검증 과정에서 위원회가 홍 지사를 증인으로 채택할지는 불확실하지만, 홍 지사는 이날 증인 출석 요구를 거부하겠다고 못 박았다. 또한, 야권과 시민단체가 추진 중인 진주의료원 폐업 철회 주민투표 요구도 내년 지방선거에서 포괄적인 심판을 받기 때문에 이행하지 않겠다는 의사를 확고히 드러냈다. (코리아 헤럴드 조정은 기자/ 번역 이상주 인턴 기자)
<관련 영어 기사>
Central, provincial governments clash over Jinju hospital
By Cho Chung-un
The central government collided with the South Gyeongsang Province government again on Thursday over a troubled public hospital in Jinju, which was forced to shut down by the local authorities despite the repeated opposition from Seoul.
Health Minister Chin Young has requested Governor Hong Joon-pyo of South Gyeongsang Province to ask local councilors to reconsider their approval of a bill that legally formalized the closure of Jinju Medical Center.
Hong, the former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party, immediately rejected, saying he is not obliged to comply with the request. The governor also told local reporters that he would not attend as a witness to a planned parliamentary inspection on Jinju Medical Center. Further, he has refused to hold a local referendum.
The bitter confrontation between the two authorities emerged two days after councilors from the ruling Saenuri Party railroaded the Jinju hospital bill.
Despite fierce protests by the main opposition Democratic Party and the labor union, the bill was approved by a majority of councilors from the ruling party only five minutes after it was brought up to an emergency meeting at the provincial assembly.
To this, the Health Ministry criticized councilors for making a unilateral decision to close down the hospital without consulting the matter with the central government.
Officials said the Health Ministry has the right to take part in the process of shutting down the hospital because it was partly funded by the central government.
“The bill is in breach of the law because it neglects the health minister’s order to reconsider the closure of the hospital which was being funded by the central government,” an official at the ministry said.
Last month, Hong announced that the provincial government would shut down Jinju Medical Center, citing snowballing losses.
The former ruling party leader sparked a nationwide controversy when he warned that the government would shut down the country’s second-oldest public hospital unless its operations improved. (
christory@heraldcorp.com)
