Prime minister urges med school professors against walkout

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks at a meeting at the Central Government Complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Friday. [YONHAP]

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Friday urged medical school professors not to walk out of hospitals as more faculty members have signaled their intent to resign or walk off the job to support the ongoing strike by trainee doctors.

"I urge all medical professors to continue standing by their patients and to persuade their students to return to work now," Han said during a meeting with officials to address the monthslong standoff between doctors and the government.

Over 13,000 junior doctors have remained off the job since Feb. 20 to protest the government's plan to hike the current medical school admissions quota by 2,000 spots.

The annual medical recruitment quota has been capped at 3,058 since 2006.

Although the government accepted a request from the presidents of six national universities to grant 32 medical schools flexibility in deciding how many spots they want to add next year, the move appears to have failed to mollify doctors' groups, which are demanding that the government scrap the planned increase entirely.

Representatives from senior and trainee doctors' groups also failed to show up to Thursday's inaugural meeting of a special presidential committee on medical reform, despite invitations from the government to attend.

The prime minister promised that the government would consider the views of doctors more seriously if they return to hospitals, but did not offer additional concessions.

Patients are likely to face more delays in scheduling surgeries and outpatient appointments after faculty members at all five of Seoul's largest teaching hospitals announced they would take one day off per week to protest the government's plan to expand medical school recruitment.

Professors at teaching hospitals double as specialists and are usually responsible for overseeing fellows and junior doctors.

Medical professors at both Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital have said they will not come in to work on Tuesday, while professors at Asan Medical Center have said they will not come in to work on May 3.

Professors at St. Mary's Hospital, which is affiliated with the Catholic University of Korea, have decided to take every Sunday off beginning in May.

Meanwhile, the emergency committee of Sungkyunkwan University's School of Medicine advised professors working at Samsung Medical Center and its regional branches to "take one day off per week to relieve pressure from overwork and maintain a 52-hour workweek."

Faculty committees at the "Big 5" hospitals have said professors will continue treating emergency cases.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]