South Korean Government to Take Legal Action Against Striking Doctors
The South Korean government recently announced a policy to increase the enrollment of medical schools, leading to a collective resignation and strike by resident doctors nationwide. In response, the South Korean authorities raised the health care disaster alert to the highest level, "serious," and declared that legal actions would be taken against those who refuse to return to work.
The government plans to significantly increase the admission of 2,000 medical students annually starting next year, sparking backlash from the medical community. As of 10 p.m. on the 20th, 8,816 intern and resident doctors from 100 hospitals nationwide had submitted resignation letters, constituting 71.2% of the total number of interns and residents. The strike continues, with doctors demanding the government to retract the policy of increasing medical school admissions. This strike has already led to the cancellation of 30% to 50% of surgeries in five major hospitals in Seoul, exacerbating shortages in emergency rooms and operating rooms heavily reliant on resident doctors.
On the 25th, the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare held an emergency meeting of the Central Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to discuss the collective strike of resident doctors. It was decided to establish a cooperation system with the prosecution, initiating legal actions against striking resident doctors promptly. The Ministry of Justice will dispatch prosecutors to provide legal consultation and assistance as needed. The Ministry of Health and Welfare issued administrative orders to major teaching hospitals nationwide, prohibiting the acceptance of collective resignations, participation in or incitement of collective actions, collective use of annual leave, and ensuring necessary medical activities. If striking doctors refuse to return to work, they may face detention or revocation of medical licenses.
The Central Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters has conducted a comprehensive inventory and management of the operating conditions of 409 emergency rooms in medical institutions nationwide, especially focusing on 97 public health care institutions that provide medical services to the public on weekends and holidays to alleviate the shortage of manpower.
When the South Korean government raised the health care disaster alert to the highest level of "serious," the spokesperson for the presidential office, Kim Su-kyung, pointed out that no country in the world would witness doctors collectively resigning or medical students collectively applying for leave due to an increase in medical school admissions. The Korean Medical Association Professors' Council attributed the strike to the government's abrupt announcement of the policy to increase medical school admissions without resolving the existing issues in the healthcare system. However, the government argued that the decision to admit 2,000 more students was necessary and adjusted from the initially proposed 3,000 after considering various factors. The goal is to allow 17 small medical schools with fewer than 50 students to operate smoothly.
The Ministry of Education had previously conducted a survey, indicating a need to admit a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 3,500 additional students. In light of the strike, authorities initiated a reevaluation, asking medical schools to confirm their educational resources and respond to the final demand survey by March 4.
On the 25th, the Korean Medical Association's Emergency Countermeasure Committee in Seoul stated its determination to "protest to the end" and vehemently demanded the government to withdraw the policy of admitting an additional 2,000 students. They argued that such a policy would result in insufficient education and training for medical students, leading to a surge in medical costs. The committee also announced a national protest march on March 3, estimating the participation of 20,000 doctors.
Opinions within the medical community regarding the strike are divided. Some professor-level doctors are considering resigning from their part-time positions to join the strike, while some senior doctors hope to bridge the communication gap between resident doctors and the government for a rational dialogue to ease the standoff. The Seoul University Medical School Professors' Council, part of the Emergency Countermeasure Committee, suggested face-to-face communication with the government to reach a consensus quickly. The National Council of Medical School Professors also expressed its willingness to act as an intermediary, facilitating dialogue between the government and various medical groups. Several professors emphasized that the resolution of this conflict requires the involvement of professors closest to the interns and medical students who are actually resigning or applying for leave. However, some resident doctors strongly expressed that neither the Medical Association nor the professors' group could represent them in negotiations, leaving the duration of this strike uncertain and attracting widespread attention.
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