Prime Minister Han Duck-soo criticized the medical community on Sunday for planning a collective suspension of patient treatment in protest of the medical school admissions quota hike, warning such action would destroy decades of trust built between doctors and patients.

Ahead of the suspension by Seoul National University (SNU) medical professors on Monday and by the Korean Medical Association (KMA) on Tuesday, Han expressed deep regret that there has been no change of plans, despite patients' tearful calls for the plan's withdrawal.

Stressing that the right to life is the most basic of the people's basic rights, the prime minister said that the government restricts some occupational freedom among certain professions, including doctors, to protect the public's right to life.

He added that the Constitution and the nation's legal system make it clear that unlimited freedom cannot be permitted in medical practice.

Reiterating the government's promise not to impose any disadvantage on trainee doctors who return from their collective action, Han, however, reaffirmed that the government will not retract the quota hike proceeded under the Constitution and the law.

In a bid to minimize the impact of the collective suspension, the government plans to run a nationwide rotating on-call system for the treatment of emergency patients in severe conditions starting Monday.