Health crisis hits peak warning level as nearly 10,000 trainee doctors resign

Social Affairs

Published: 23 Feb. 2024, 11:05 Updated: 23 Feb. 2024, 11:06

Health crisis hits peak warning level as nearly 10,000 trainee doctors resign

Medical professionals in their doctors' gowns inside a hospital in Seoul on Thursday [NEWS1]

The government on Friday raised the national health crisis level to the uppermost tier of “serious” as the mass resignation of trainee doctors continued nationwide in protest of the medical school enrollment quota hike.

This is the first time such a warning level has been issued for medical services.

A total of 9,275 interns and residents at 100 major hospitals in the country submitted their resignation letters as of 10 p.m. Wednesday.

The government raised the level to “alert,” the third highest in the four-tier system, on Feb. 7 as a mass strike was anticipated after the government announced the day before it would raise the enrollment quota at medical schools.

Some 8,024 trainee doctors from the 100 major hospitals staged a walkout off from their hospitals.

“The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, along with all provinces and cities nationwide, will take comprehensive measures to [address issues arising from] the collective protests against the medical school enrollment quota hike,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during an emergency meeting held on the same day.

“Public medical services will operate at maximum capacity,” Han said.

“All public medical institutions will extend the operational hours as much as they could for weekdays and service hours on weekends will be expanded as well.”

Han said that emergency rooms at public medical centers and hospitals will remain open 24 hours.

With the continuing protest, the number of affected patients increases. A total of 189 complaints have been filed to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s damage reporting center.

“The government is deeply concerned about the aggravated workload burdened by medical staff who are maintaining duties in the hospital,” Han said, noting that governmental efforts aim to minimize damages inflicted on patients.

“The collective and organized strikes are an action of obliterating sacred duty as doctors, which will eventually leave scars on patients and people,” Han said.

Considering the country has some 13,000 trainee doctors, more than 70 percent of them have filed a resignation.

The Health Ministry has been pressuring striking junior doctors, including the possibility of suspending their medical licenses. The Justice Ministry said the doctors led the collective action could be detained for investigation.

However, more and more doctors are leaving the medical front line.

“Unlawful measures and demonstrations may jeopardize the aspirations of young trainee doctors to become respected and honorable medical professionals,” Han said. “I hope the actions would not push them into the risk of losing all their invested efforts all at once.”

The Korean Medical Association, representing professional doctors, supported the mass strike and resignation of their young counterparts, stating that their actions are “voluntary,” not a “mass action.”

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, CHO JUNG-WOO [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]