Operations and other medical treatments are being postponed en masse in South Korea. In five major hospitals in the capital Seoul, no fewer than 71.2 percent of junior doctors have resigned: 8,816 employees in total. 7,813 of them have left the workplace and more than 1,600 doctors decided to strike on Tuesday, South Korea reported Yonhap news agency.
The reason for the actions are government plans to attract more medical students. This is necessary to reduce staff shortages, especially in rural areas. President Yoon Suk-yeol has proposed admitting an additional two thousand students annually. That is no less than 65 percent more than the current numerus fixus of three thousand students, which has not been adjusted since 2006. If nothing is done now, a shortage of approximately 15,000 doctors is expected by 2035. Yoon’s plans are popular in South Korea, with as many as 80 percent of respondents supporting them in a recent poll.
This does not apply to the profession itself. Doctors are furious about the plans, because they fear more competition in the labor market. “More doctors means more competition and less income for them […] That’s why they are against proposals to increase the number of doctors,” said professor and health system expert at Seoul National University Kwon Soon-man. the BBC. There are approximately 13,000 junior doctors throughout the country, who take on a lot of work in many hospitals, especially in the emergency room.
Only 2.5 doctors for every thousand patients
South Korea has a special healthcare system. It has one of the lowest numbers of doctors per patient of any developed country. With 2.5 specialists per thousand patients, the country only has to tolerate Mexico. Reason for the government to attract more medical staff. More than 90 percent of all hospitals are private institutions, where employed doctors are among the best paid in the world.
Deputy Minister of Health Park Min-soo is not happy with the actions. “In no other country in the world do medical workers take collective action, leaving behind seriously ill and distressed patients,” he told reporters. He ordered 6,112 junior doctors to return to their work. “I am disappointed that doctors think their rights take precedence over those of patients,” Park said. He said he would consider legal action on Wednesday to have the strikes dissolved.
To cope with the disruption of the healthcare system, the government has extended working hours in 97 public hospitals. Treatment rooms in military hospitals have also been opened to the population. It is also being examined whether certain appointments with patients can be made by telephone or video connection.