South Korea** warns of strict handling of doctors who resign en masse.
Hui Xiaoshuang. South Korea issued a warning on the 21st that doctors who continue to participate in the collective resignation action will be severely punished and face arrest and prosecution.
On the same day, a number of relevant departments in South Korea met to discuss measures to deal with the collective resignation of doctors. According to Yonhap News Agency, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, the Supreme Prosecutor's Office, and the National Police Agency held a joint press conference after the meeting, announcing that in principle, those who took the lead in inciting collective resignation actions will be arrested and subject to criminal investigation.
South Korea** also warned that those who interfere with normal medical activities in hospitals or obstruct the return of resigned doctors will also be severely punished; Doctors who refuse to return to work will be prosecuted in principle; Doctors who return to work in time will be given leniency. If this "illegal collective action" results in the death or health of the patient, the doctor concerned will be subject to "maximum punishment".
In addition, if the management of medical institutions fails to fulfill their responsibilities to prevent and solve the problem of collective resignation of doctors, resulting in a "medical vacuum", they will also be held legally responsible.
South Korea** announced plans to expand its medical student enrollment earlier this month, increasing the number of students enrolled in university medical schools to 5,000 in the 2025 academic year, up from about 3,000 at the current level.
As the population ages, the demand for medical resources in Korean society will continue to grow. According to the estimates of the South Korean health department, if the current enrollment scale is maintained and the enrollment is not expanded, by 2035, the shortage of doctors in South Korea will be as high as 150,000 people.
According to the results of a poll released by the polling agency "Gallup Korea" on the 16th, 76% of respondents gave a positive evaluation of the plan to expand the enrollment of medical students. At the same time, the expansion has drawn strong opposition from medical groups and medical students. They say the move would trigger over-the-top medical treatment and strain the health care system. According to Yonhap News Agency, critics point out that people in the medical community are actually concerned about the reduction in their income due to the expansion plan.
The Korea Association of Interns and Residents announced on the 16th that interns and residents at the five major hospitals in the Tokyo metropolitan area will collectively submit their resignation reports by the 19th and stop working from 6 o'clock on the 20th.
Yonhap News Agency reported citing data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea that as of late night on the 20th, 8,816 interns and resident doctors in 100 hospitals in South Korea had submitted resignation reports, accounting for 71 of the total number of interns and residents in the above-mentioned hospitals2%, of which more than 7,800 are no longer at work.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the total number of interns and residents in South Korea is about 1More than 30,000 people, 95% of whom work in these 100 hospitals.
On the 19th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a directive to more than 200 medical institutions, requiring interns and resident doctors to maintain medical treatment. The department has issued orders to more than 6,100 doctors to return to work.
As a result of this incident, five major hospitals in Seoul have cancelled 30 to 50 percent of their surgical schedules, and will have to prioritize surgeries for acute and critical patients and postpone non-emergency treatments and surgeries. In addition, a number of hospitals have invested in specialists and chief physicians to fill vacancies in emergency and night shift positions.
Some patients are dissatisfied with the collective resignation of doctors, believing that the health and even life safety of patients are affected or in danger. A cancer patient at Seoul National University Hospital told Yonhap News Agency that many of the patients' surgeries had to be canceled and that he had to be transferred to the hospital as recommended by the hospital. Another patient said that "about half of the wards looked empty" and that the patient felt like an abandonment.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-hyun asked military hospitals to support local hospitals on the 21st. The emergency room of the Korean ** team hospital began to open to civilians on the 20th.
The Korean Association of Interns and Residents issued a statement on the 20th, saying that ** refused to disclose the scientific basis for the expansion of medical schools, and hastily issued new policies only for the purpose of canvassing for the election of members of Congress. The association said that the South Korean side's request that the hospital not approve the doctor's resignation was an abuse of power, and that the improper order must be withdrawn and an apology must be made. (End) (Special article by Xinhua News Agency).