Major hospitals and health authorities are swiftly transitioning into emergency mode as thousands of trainee doctors prepare to walk off their jobs on Tuesday to protest the government’s plan to increase the number of medical school students starting next year.
Trainee doctors, which include interns and resident doctors, constitute approximately 30 to 40 percent of the total medical staff at large hospitals. They play a pivotal role in emergency procedures, providing crucial assistance to medical experts.
Bracing for the looming walkout, large hospitals have begun adjusting surgery schedules based on the severity of a patient’s illness. Health authorities are also formulating various contingency plans, including proposals to make emergency rooms at military hospitals accessible to the public. These measures are intended to mitigate potential disruptions in patient care resulting from the impending walkout by trainee doctors.
The imminent collective action by junior doctors is a response to the government’s announcement on Feb. 6 of plans to increase the annual enrollment quota at 40 medical schools nationwide. The proposed increase would raise the quota from the current 3,058 to 5,058 starting next year.
The government has been seeking to raise the medical school enrollment quota to address shortages of doctors and improve public access to medical services.
On the other hand, doctors and medical school students raised concerns that expanding the number of placements could adversely affect the quality of education and training. They said the government should instead explore ways to improve the working environment of physicians and better allocate them.
Trainee doctors at major hospitals nationwide, including ones at the so-called “big five” hospitals in Seoul — Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital — were poised to submit their letters of resignation en masse and stop working on Tuesday.
Among them, some trainee doctors at Severance Hospital already stopped working on Monday, with others continuing to take part in the submission of resignation letters.
“We have reduced our surgery room operations to about 50 to 60 percent of the ordinary rate in preparation for a collective walkout of trainee doctors,” an official at Severance Hospital said.
Doctors walk down a hallway at a major hospital in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there are approximately 13,000 trainee doctors stationed at 221 teaching hospitals nationwide. Among them, around 2,745, constituting about 21 percent of the total, are employed at the five major hospitals in Seoul.
Concerns are rising that actions by trainee doctors could pose a serious threat to hospital operations and patient care across the country.
The health ministry reiterated its firm stance against any collective action, ordering all trainee doctors to keep providing medical services.
“This order is effective immediately,” Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a media briefing. “We will carry out on-site inspections to monitor the situation. We will disclose everything transparently and promptly.”
In a bid to mitigate potential medical disruptions stemming from the impending walkout, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo announced that the government will significantly expand telemedicine services.
Telemedicine, or non-face-to-face medical treatments, which is technically illegal under the current Medical Services Act, was temporarily allowed in Korea in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling people to use phone consultations and prescriptions for a limited time. After the public health crisis came to an end, telemedicine continued as a pilot project in June last year with available services significantly narrowed.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, center, visits the National Medical Center in Seoul, Monday, to assess the situation at hospitals ahead of a looming walkout by trainee doctors to protest against the government’s plan to increase the number of medical students. Yonhap
“The government will also expand the consulting hours of 97 public hospitals and open the emergency rooms of 12 military hospitals to the public,” Han said during an emergency meeting with relevant ministers.
Medical students are also mobilizing to join the protests by collectively taking leaves of absence. Representatives from 35 out of 40 medical schools unanimously agreed to submit applications for leaves of absence on Tuesday.
In response, Education Minister Lee Ju-ho convened a video conference with the presidents of the 40 medical schools on Monday, urging them to closely monitor the situation and manage their students effectively.
