South Korean health care authorities on Sunday discussed ways to minimize possible fallout from a looming strike by a nationwide union of nurses and medical workers this week. On Saturday, members of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union, which has some 30,000 nurses and medical workers at 61 hospitals as members, voted in favor of a strike plan over calls for an improvement in working conditions. If an ongoing arbitration by the labor relations committee fails, the unionized workers plan to launch simultaneous strikes Thursday. In an interagency meeting of health care-related authorities chaired by Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, officials discussed measures to minimize the inconvenience to the public's access to medical services if the planned strike by union proceeds, according to officials. This undated file photo shows Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong speaking at an interagency meeting of officials in the health care sector. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) At the meeting, officials emphasized that even if the strike proceeds, essential medical services, such as emergency rooms, intensive care units and surgeries, must continue to operate as required by the related labor union laws. The government said it will work closely with local governments to continuously monitor whether essential services are being maintained to ensure that there are no disruptions to critical care. In the event of a strike, the government plans to maintain a 24-hour emergency medical system at emergency centers to ensure uninterrupted care for emergency patients. Additionally, emergency medical services will be reinforced, focusing on public medical institutions that do not participate in the strike. Source: Yonhap News Agency