A group of doctors in South Korea announced on the 16th that interns and residents of the five major hospitals in the capital area will resign en masse before the 19th to expand the policy of recruiting medical students in colleges and universities. South Korea** is expected to have about 2,700 doctors involved, and the country's healthcare system is likely to be severely impacted.
South Korea** announced earlier this month that it would increase the number of students enrolled in medical schools in colleges and universities to 5,058 in the 2025 academic year from 3,058 in order to address the shortage of doctors. By 2035, South Korea will have about 10,000 new doctors.
This is an emergency medical center photographed on March 11, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. News Agency
The expansion has met with strong opposition from medical groups and medical students, who say it would spark overtreatment and strain the health care system. Some critics have pointed out that people in the medical community are actually concerned that the expansion plan will lead to a decrease in their income.
The Korean Association of Interns and Residents said on the 16th that after consultation with the representatives of doctors from the five major hospitals in the capital area, it was decided that the interns and residents of these hospitals would collectively submit their resignation reports before the 19th and stop working from 6 o'clock on the 20th.
South Korea** expects about 2,700 doctors to be involved, accounting for about one-fifth of all internships and residents in South Korea. Given that these doctors are the main force in the emergency department and the most critically ill patients, the country's healthcare system is likely to be severely impacted and inconvenienced.
Medical students likewise decided to take the ** action. The Korean Medical University and Medical Research Institute Student Association said that students from 40 medical universities across the country will collectively apply for suspension on the 20th.
On June 6, 2015, an ambulance stopped in front of the ** Korean Medical Center near Dongdaemun, Seoul, South Korea. hair
In this regard, the Ministry of Education of South Korea held an emergency meeting on the 16th to set up a special task force and activate an emergency liaison mechanism with 40 medical universities to monitor student movements and take timely response measures.
South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 16th that as of the night of the 15th, 154 doctors in seven hospitals had submitted their resignations. **Hospitals have been ordered to prohibit the acceptance of collective resignation applications by doctors, and doctors who have resigned have been required to return to work, and violators will face penalties.
According to South Korean law, if a doctor fails to return to work as required, he or she will be banned from practicing medicine for up to one year, and in serious cases, he or she will be sentenced to up to three years in prison. Persons sentenced to imprisonment, deferred sentences and suspended sentences may have their medical licenses revoked.
South Korea's ** office reiterated on the 16th that the ** plan to expand the enrollment of medical students "has no room for adjustment" and will resolutely respond to the collective action of the medical community.
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 ** policy of expanding the enrollment of medical students.