South Korean medical professors decided to resign from March 25 to support striking doctors, but still ensure treatment for patients at hospitals.
The statement, released on March 16, was in support of a strike by medical interns and residents. The professors said that despite their resignations, they would continue to treat patients at the hospital, as more than 90% of interns walked out last month in protest against plans to increase the number of medical school places by 2,000 by 2025.
The decision was made by professors at an online meeting of 20 universities held late on March 15. At the meeting, 16 of the 20 schools supported the decision to submit their resignations, which is considered an overwhelming number. The remaining are still considering whether to participate, according to Bang Jae-seung, head of the council's emergency committee. South Korea has a total of 40 medical universities.
"This decision does not mean we are abandoning patients. But if the current situation continues, there will be irreparable damage to public health in the long term," Bang said at a press conference.
He said medical professors would do their best to treat patients until the resignation procedures were completed. The medical council argued that the move was to prevent medical incidents. They said the government should withdraw its decision to increase the admission quota.
Doctors at the gate of St. Mary's Catholic Hospital Seoul. Photo: Yonhap
As of March 15, about 11,900 medical interns at 100 hospitals had quit their jobs in response to the recruitment plan. Tensions escalated when medical school professors also announced that they would resign en masse. Medical school professors, who are also senior doctors, play a pivotal role in treating severe and critical patients in Korea. The Health Ministry has received more than 1,200 reports of patients affected and having their treatment delayed.
According to experts, in reality, Korea lacks doctors in essential specialties such as surgery, pediatrics, emergency resuscitation, and obstetrics and gynecology. However, medical students tend to choose dermatology and cosmetology after graduation, because of the easy work and high salary. If the quota is increased, the competitive pressure in popular majors will be higher, while essential majors still suffer from a shortage of doctors.
Therefore, doctors believe that the government should consider solving immediate problems such as increasing salaries and benefits, allocating resources more equally between fields, and attracting personnel to essential departments.
According to the Korea Medical Trainee Association (KMA), interns and residents in the country work 36-hour shifts, compared to less than 24 hours in the United States. The report found that only half of young doctors in the United States work 60 hours or less a week. Meanwhile, Korean doctors regularly work more than 100 hours.
In addition to improved wages and hours, the strikers want more legal protection in the event of medical incidents. In many cases, doctors are not adequately compensated when facing legal threats, despite harsh working conditions, according to Joo Su-ho, a spokesman for the KMA.
In response, the government has threatened to suspend the licenses of those who took part in the strike, with a deadline for them to return to work in hospitals set for March 25. The Health Ministry had earlier sent notices to about 5,000 junior doctors.
Thuc Linh (According to Yonhap )
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