 "South Korea's medical woes worsen: Senior doctors join trainee medics in walkouts")
The health emergency in South Korea is likely to worsen as senior medical staff are reportedly resigning and joining junior doctors in their protest against the government’s plan to almost double the number of medical school admissions.
According to a report by SCMP, Yun Woo-sung of Kyungpook National University School of Medicine became the first professor to resign over the issue.
Medical school professors and physicians at several hospitals across South Korea, including those at Kumoh National University, have joined striking junior doctors to protest.
Others have said they would “not sit idle” if junior doctors were “hurt”, as neither side shows signs of backing down in the gridlock that has dragged on for weeks.
Meanwhile, authorities have started notifying trainee doctors about the suspension of their medical licences as the government begins to punish physicians for walking out of their jobs over two weeks ago.
South Koreans struggle
The trainee doctors’ strike in South Korea has entered its third week and people of the country are becoming the sufferers. Surgeries have been cancelled, crucial chemotherapy sessions delayed, and getting a walk-in appointment is nearly impossible as nearly 9,000 junior doctors walked off the job on February 20 in a standoff with the government over medical training reforms.
A patient, named Jang Sung-ja, who has ovarian cancer said due to a shortage of medics in Seoul with most doctors on strike her treatment has been paused.
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More Shorts“I live in Daegu and the hospital is in Seoul, and I’m just waiting to hear back from them after being informed that the session has been postponed,” Jang Sung-ja was quoted as saying by AFP.
“The hospital doesn’t really answer when you call them and my children are very worried about me,” she added.
Doctors defy government warning
February 29 was the deadline set by the South Korean government for the protesting junior doctors to return to work. It’s March 6 and the protests continue. Medics also appear not to fear suspension of their medical licences and warning of serious problems in their future careers.
On Tuesday (5 March), junior doctors said they had no intention of returning to work.
Doctors claim they are being underpaid
According to 2022 data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), doctors in South Korea are among the best-paid in the world, with the average specialist at a public hospital receiving nearly $200,000 a year; a salary far exceeding the national average pay.
But, according to a report by AFP, junior doctors alleged they are overworked and underpaid. They even argue that reforms by the South Korean government will erode service quality and do nothing to fix core issues in healthcare provision.
“Even if a large number of doctors are produced, if they do not work in essential medical areas and instead move to private clinics or other fields, it does not align with the (government’s) initial purpose,” Park Dan, the head of the Korean Intern Resident Association, told local media.
What doctors will do if they lose their medical license?
Junior medics in South Korea say medical reforms and the government’s “draconian” reaction to doctors’ opposition are enough to drive some of them out of the profession for good.
“After this situation is over, I plan to go to a rural area in Yeongdong, North Chungcheong Province, to cultivate grapes,” Ryu Ok Hada, a trainee doctor who resigned, was quoted as saying by AFP.
Another doctor, who walked out of job, said: “I could live a happier life by going to the United States and running a food truck. I could make people happy without feeling this level of humiliation.”
Why South Korea junior doctors’ continue to protest?
For decades, policymakers in South Korea have been trying to increase the number of doctors as the country continues to deal with a rapidly aging population which is expected to put extra burden on the country’s medical system.
Currently, the country has only 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people, which makes it the second lowest rate in the OECD group of nations after Mexico.
To address this problem, President Yoon Suk-yeol, in February, proposed adding 2,000 spots per year to medical schools - a increase of 65 per cent on the current yearly intake of just over 3,000 students. The rate hasn’t changed since 2006.
There is a projected shortfall of 15,000 doctors by 2035 if the government doesn’t take action now, Yoon said.
Doctor groups like the Korean Medical Association (KMS), however, argue saying the increase would be a strain on the money available under the national health insurance scheme.
Protesting doctors also argue that an expanded quota would not address the shortages because they are confined to particular specialties, like emergency care, where pay is low and working conditions are poor.
They even said the government’s plan would further burden hospitals and compromise the quality of medical services.
South Korea has a government-funded health insurance system that ensures no one will be denied life-saving treatment.
With inputs from agencies
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