S. Korea's Health Care Crisis Deepens as More than 9000 Trainee Doctors Leave Worksites

Over 9,000 trainee doctors have left worksites

More than 9,000 trainee doctors have left worksites, ratcheting up their protest against the government's plan to boost the number of medical students, raising concerns over public health.

South Korea's Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters that 9,006 trainee doctors at hospitals walked off their job and 10,034 trainee doctors submitted their resignations.

The government said it will not hold trainee doctors accountable if they return to work by Thursday, he added.

Hospitals across the nation continued to grapple with ongoing disruptions, with Severance Hospital in Seoul halving its operation schedule. Samsung Medical Center also reportedly reduced the number by 45 to 50 percent. Other major hospitals took similar moves amid the shortage of doctors on duty, said YONHAP.

South Korea has been pushing to increase the number of medical freshmen to address a shortage of doctors, particularly in rural areas and essential medical fields, such as high-risk surgeries, pediatrics, obstetrics, and emergency medicine.

There are some 13,000 trainee doctors in South Korea.

Source: QNA