On the 21st, the Emergency Response Committee of the Korea University Medical Professors' Association held a press conference to announce the results of an online meeting held on the 20th with the Korean Intern and Resident Doctors' Association, the Korean Medical Schools' Association, and the Graduate School of Medicine and Health Sciences Association. The Korea University Medical Professors' Association has decided that starting on the 25th of this month, medical professors throughout the country will submit letters of resignation to their respective universities with the intention of reducing their work hours to the statutory 52 hours per week; from April 1st, they will primarily focus on emergency and critically ill patients while minimizing outpatient care.
Thirty-nine out of 40 medical schools in Korea are members of the Korea University Medical Professors' Association. The Emergency Response Committee stated in the press conference that interns and resident doctors have been resigning and leaving their posts for the past five weeks, and that over the past five weeks, professors have been under immense mental and physical distress, with some having to work three night shifts per week and continue to work the following morning. If this continues, patients will also be put at risk. In order to ensure patient safety, the professors have made the decision to reduce their work hours, and they hope for understanding.
Regarding the distribution of medical school quota expansion announced by the Korean government on the 20th, the Emergency Response Committee of the Korea University Medical Professors' Association stated that "the government's announcement of the quota expansion distribution does not mean that this incident is over," and urged the government to engage in active dialogue with the medical community. (CCTV reporter: Zhang Yun)
(Original Title: "Korean Medical Professors Association: Resignations to Be Submitted on the 25th; Work Hours to Be Reduced to 52 per Week")
