Doctors’ strike under preparation

In response to the government's decision to increase the number of medical school admissions, a group of medical residents (interns and residents) held an online general meeting on Monday to discuss the plans to launch a strike. As residents are responsible for responding to on-site medical treatment, such as treating inpatients and emergency surgeries at large hospitals, their strike will have a significant impact.

Meanwhile, the President's Office stated that the decision to increase medical school admissions is irreversible, suggesting that a mass shutdown at hospitals and clinics could be likely.

According to the medical community on Monday, the Korean Medical Resident Association held an online general meeting in the evening to discuss ways to respond to the government's policy. Reportedly, the decision to participate in collective action was already made by residents at the ‘Big 5’ hospitals (Seoul National University, Severance, Seoul Asan, Samsung Seoul, and Seoul St. Mary’s), so they discussed the timing and approach of the strike.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA), whose leadership, including Chairman Lee Pil-soo, resigned in protest against the government's policy, elected Kim Taek-woo, chairman of the Gangwon Province Medical Association, as chairman of the contingency committee and announced that it would take collective action by holding rallies across the country on Feb 15. A meeting of national doctor representatives is scheduled in Seoul on Feb 17th to discuss the scheduling of strikes.

“Over the past four decades, the number of lawyers has increased tenfold, while the number of doctors merely grew threefold,” a high-ranking official from the Presidential Office told reporters at the Presidential Office on Monday. “While the number of professionals tends to increase with higher income, the number of doctors has not increased to the extent necessary,” he emphasized. “Doctors dispute that an increase of 2,000 is too much, but even 2,000 is not enough to meet our needs. We see no justification for group action and believe doctors must cooperate for the greater good.”

The government expects the backlash from doctors to escalate after the Lunar New Year holidays. It plans to respond by issuing administrative orders to resume work and revoke medical licenses if the fourth medical strike since 2000 becomes a reality.


jyr0101@donga.com