Military physicians and public health doctors are to be mobilized in South Korea in assistance of hospitals being hit with the impact of almost 12,000 trainee doctors in a walkout-action of 100 hospitals in protest against government’s reform plans.
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong in an announcement on Sunday stated that twenty military surgeons and 138 public health doctors would be deployed to 20 hospitals for four weeks.
Despite briefing from defense ministry signifying only a small fraction of the approximately 2,400 military doctors had been called upon to assist, the government maintains that the walkout has not escalated into a full-blown health crisis. Nevertheless, some hospitals have been forced to reject patients and postpone medical procedures due to the strike.
In between the standoff, South Korean authorities have attempted instructing the protesting doctors to return to work, with a clear warning of potential suspension of their medical licenses. This tactic however has been limitedly successful, with many doctors standing their ground in their demands.
Health Minister Cho KBS Radio stated that doctors who resume work prior to the completion of the license suspension process would be treated with leniency. Meanwhile, the authority to mandate doctors to return to work remains with the government if it deems there to be, a significant risk to public health and safety.
The genesis of the crisis stemmed from the government’s proposal to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 annually starting from 2025, this is to tackle the shortage of doctors in South Korea’s rapidly aging population. Striking doctors, however, argue that increasing students’ numbers will not adequately address elementary issues related to wages/salaries and working conditions and may even worsen the situation.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and his administration is being criticized that the reforms are politically motivated, designed to rally support for his party ahead of parliamentary elections in April. Despite these controversies and conspiracies, a survey by Yonhap news agency revealed strong public support for increasing the number of doctors, although opinions on how to deal with striking physicians were more divided.
