Chaos looms as more medical professors opt for indefinite strike

Social Affairs

Published: 12 Jun. 2024, 18:39 Updated: 12 Jun. 2024, 18:56

Chaos looms as more medical professors opt for indefinite strike

A patient sits in a wheelchair in front of a hospital in Seoul on Wednesday. [YONHAP]

Fears of chaos in Korea's medical system are growing after more doctors at the country’s largest teaching hospitals decided on Wednesday to stage an indefinite walkout.

An emergency steering committee of professors at Yonsei University’s College of Medicine announced an indefinite strike starting June 27, which will impact Severance Hospital in western Seoul, Gangnam Severance Hospital in southern Seoul and Yongin Severance Hospital in Gyeonggi.

The three hospitals will halt medical services except for emergency room patients and intensive care units.

Medical professors will leave their worksites until the government takes “observable action to resolve the current medical situation,” the committee said.

A total of 735 medical professors participated in a survey conducted by the committee from Sunday through Tuesday, with 72.2 percent agreeing to the indefinite strike.

This marks the second hospital among the so-called Big Five hospitals to vote for an indefinite strike.

The five major teaching hospitals in Korea are Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital.

Last week, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) professors announced they would indefinitely suspend medical services from June 17, except for emergency room patients and intensive care units, unless the government halts administrative procedures such as license suspensions for junior doctors.

On Wednesday, medical professors at the Catholic University of Korea’s School of Medicine also announced their participation in the one-day strike on June 18, led by the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the country’s largest doctors' lobbying group.

A total of eight hospitals affiliated with the university, including Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, will join the single-day strike. Medical professors at the Catholic University of Korea said they would convene a meeting on June 20 to discuss whether to stage an indefinite strike in response to the government’s actions.

Medical professors at the University of Ulsan, affiliated with Seoul Asan Medical Center, will participate in the one-day strike on June 18 and are conducting surveys to determine whether to stage an extended strike.

Medical professors at Sungkyunkwan University, which has its teaching hospital at Samsung Medical Center, will also participate in the June 18 strike led by the KMA. They plan to join an indefinite strike if the Medical Professors Association of Korea decides to do so.

The association, consisting of professors from 40 medical schools nationwide, convened a meeting on Wednesday to discuss participation in the June 18 strike.

Medical professors in Korea play a central role in training junior doctors and overseeing fellows at teaching hospitals. Not only are professors practicing physicians, but they are also often the foremost specialists in their fields.

A cancer patient, left, sheds tears in a press conference requesting Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) professors withdraw their plan to stage an indefinite walkout in front of SNUH in downtown Seoul on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

Patients, who will be directly affected by the doctors’ collective action, called for the plan's withdrawal.

The Korea Severe Disease Association, comprised of six groups representing patients, including the Korean Cancer Patients Rights Council, held a press conference in front of Seoul National University Hospital in downtown Seoul on Wednesday.

“Medical professors at SNUH should think about what is more important and come back to work and communicate with the patients in person,” said Kim Sung-ju, the head of the Korea Severe Disease Association.

Kim, who has throat cancer, asked SNUH professors what they value more: the lives of patients or the withdrawal of penalties against junior doctors undergoing administrative procedures.

Seoul National University President Ryu Hong-lim also urged medical professors to postpone their planned strike and continue working at hospitals and educational sites on Monday. Kim Young-tae, the president of SNUH, said in a statement on Friday that he would not approve the indefinite strike.

The planned strikes follow the government's decision last month to increase medical school admissions by 1,500 spots next year despite fierce opposition from the medical community. It marked the first such increase in 27 years.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]