As of Feb. 26, over 10,000 doctors have resigned from their positions in protest of the government’s proposal to increase the number of medical school students. The government has declared that doctors who return to work by Feb. 29. will receive maximum mitigating circumstances for any violations of the current law.
As of 7 p.m. on Feb. 23, the Ministry of Health and Welfare inspected 100 major training hospitals and found that 13,34 resident doctors (80.5%) had submitted resignations. Of these, 9006 residents (72.3%) were found to have left their workplaces.
As of 6 p.m. on the same day, there were 38 new cases reported to the Physician Collective Action Victim Reporting and Support Center. Surgery delays accounted for 31 cases, followed by three cases of medical refusal, two cases of canceled appointments, and two cases of delayed hospitalization.
“Please come back to work by Feb. 29,” said Park Min-soo, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare. “If you return to the hospital by then, you will not be held responsible for any past misdemeanors. However, those who do not return by March will have their license suspended for at least three months, in accordance with the law and principles. Further judicial proceedings such as investigation and prosecution will also be inevitable.”
The Ministry announced on the same day that it has decided to implement the medical support personnel pilot project so that medical support nurses who are covering the medical gap caused by the departure of residents can work stably while being legally protected. “This is in accordance with the framework act on health and medical services” Vice Minister Park said. The Ministry announced the guidelines for the pilot project today, and plans to implement it from Feb. 27.
According to the ministry, 96% of emergency medical centers are operating normally, with 392 out of 409 functioning properly. Additionally, 45 public medical centers are operating extended hours, and 12 emergency rooms at military hospitals are providing emergency care to the general public.
“The hospitalization and surgery of mild cases at upper-level general hospitals has somewhat decreased, but they are operating with a severe focus so that critical surgeries and intensive care unit(ICU) admissions are maintained,” said Deputy Minister Park. “The decrease in outpatient care at upper-level general hospitals is 2.5%, which has not changed significantly after the collective action.”
