Medical services are interrupted by opposition from residents

“I was told out of the blue on Friday by the doctor in charge that my mother’s surgery wouldn’t be provided due to a doctors strike,” an online post written by the writer whose mother was planning to receive surgery for her stage 4 lung cancer at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital of the Catholic University. The writer posted a notice from the hospital on reservation for hospitalization and complained about the situation. A member of the hospital confirmed that it was indeed true that she was one of its patients and that the doctor in charge informed her that the surgery wouldn’t be provided due to a doctors’ strike, which was decided after two years of chemotherapy due to the shortage of the medication. “I saw it on TV but wasn’t expecting that something like this would happen to us,” said the writer. “How can doctors try to promote their interests by threatening patients’ lives?”

As doctors at university hospitals oppose the government’s plan to expand the entrance quota for medical schools to 2,000 and forewarn group action on Tuesday, a large-scale medical vacuum is being materialized. “All doctors will submit their letters of resignation by Monday and stop providing medical services after 6 p.m. on Tuesday,” said the representatives of doctors at the so-called Big 5 hospitals – Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, ASAN Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, and The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital – on Friday. The representatives of students at 40 medical schools across the country also announced that students will collectively submit applications for a leave of absence from school on Tuesday.

The residents who graduated from medical schools are in charge of operations and treatment on the front line at 221 training hospitals. As 2,745 doctors out of a total of 7,042 at Big 5 hospitals are residents, their absence will cause serious interruption to providing medical services.

The government reconfirmed the plan to react according to laws and principles. “The government won’t back down even though doctors are trying to reduce the increased quota for medical schools through their collective actions,” said a senior member of the presidential office on Friday. The Ministry of Health and Welfare issued an order to disapprove the use of collective annual leaves and maintain the provision of essential medical services to 221 training hospitals with residents. In addition, the ministry announced that residents who refuse to provide medical services will be immediately ordered to resume his or her work and that legal actions will be taken in case of disobedience.


조유라 기자 jyr0101@donga.com