The "resignation wave" initiated by South Korean medical personnel against the government's plan to increase the number of medical students continues to escalate. As of 6 p.m. local time on February 22nd, approximately 11,500 medical students in South Korea have applied for leave, accounting for 61.1% of the total number of medical students.
On the 23rd, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Chun-ho, who is in charge of social affairs in South Korea, held a video conference with leaders of 40 universities and medical schools nationwide, requesting their assistance in bringing students back to the classrooms.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo stated on Friday that following the strike by intern doctors in the country, South Korea has raised the public health alert level to the highest and will make maximum use of public hospitals to cope with the pressure on the healthcare system.
According to local media, more than two-thirds of young doctors in South Korea have joined the protests against the government, forcing hospitals to suspend some medical services and refuse to accept more patients. The South Korean society is currently concerned that if the wave of collective resignations by intern doctors continues, the country's healthcare system will be further disrupted.
On Thursday, the South Korean Ministry of Health confirmed that over 8,400 doctors have participated in the strikes, accounting for about 64% of the total number of residents and intern doctors in South Korea.
On Thursday, the South Korean government also called on doctors to return to the negotiating table and threatened to arrest the leaders of the strikes. But this evidently did not deter the further actions of intern doctors.
The cause of the incident is the South Korean government's plan to significantly increase the number of admissions to medical schools in the country in its latest policy to cope with the impact of an aging society. However, the medical community claims that this policy will harm healthcare services and the quality of education, and young doctors also criticize that it will further weaken the competitiveness of doctors' wages and social prestige.
"Iron-headed" doctors
Insiders point out that the strike by intern doctors has forced the five largest comprehensive hospitals in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to significantly reduce surgical and medical service arrangements. The number of surgeries at Severance Hospital in downtown Seoul has been reduced by half, while St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center in the south and east have reduced their services by 30%.
South Korean society does not approve of the actions of the doctors. According to a survey, 76% of respondents support the government's order for doctors to return to their positions and believe that the idea of arresting the main leaders is feasible.
In addition, the Ministry of Health in South Korea has stated that it has received about 150 complaints from the public regarding the intern doctors' strike. A patient with brain cancer stated that the cancer cells have already spread to the lungs and liver but had to face the dilemma of delayed chemotherapy. There are also complaints from pregnant women whose cesarean section surgeries have been canceled, and they have not yet received further arrangements.
However, the protesting doctors say they will not be yielding. Park Dan, the president of the Korean Intern and Resident Association, who participated in the protest, said that as long as the doctors' demands are heard, he is willing to be arrested by the government.
Park Min-soo, the Vice Minister of Health in South Korea, called on the authorities not to accept the resignation letters from intern doctors and urged them to consider the consequences of the strike as patients are still awaiting treatment.
