Government's responsibility to prevent doctors from leaving patients behind

In his recent public address, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo urged for restraint amidst the collective actions of doctors opposing the expansion of medical school quotas, emphasizing, "It is unacceptable to take the lives of the people hostage." He also affirmed that this initiative will be incorporated into this year's entrance examination, saying, "The expansion cannot be postponed any longer." The government underscored a 'zero tolerance principle' for medical residents who refuse to provide treatment and mandated 221 hospitals nationwide to submit daily reports on their work statuses.

The Korean Medical Association is heightening its opposition to the government's firm stance, warning that “even a single disadvantaged doctor could prompt actions that would be challenging to manage.” The announcement by residents at five major hospitals in Seoul to halt treatment starting on Tuesday has sparked confusion, particularly in critical operating rooms. Sinchon Severance Hospital has opted to reduce its surgery schedule by half, Samsung Seoul Hospital is informing patients about surgery postponements, and Seoul National University Hospital has suspended surgeries, including those for lung cancer patients. Leaving emergency and operating rooms where desperate patients seek urgent care is indeed an “unethical act that disregards people’s lives” as the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union pointed out.

The government cannot absolve itself of responsibility for the turmoil resulting from the doctors' strike. The strike by doctors in response to the expansion of medical schools was predictable. Since 2000, doctors have staged strikes three times, protesting issues such as the separation of dispensaries from medical practice, non-face-to-face treatment, and the expansion of medical schools. On each occasion, their demands were met. The government has consistently struggled to address doctors' strikes, which hold patients' lives hostage. It may repeat past failures if it relies solely on favorable public opinion to justify increasing the number of doctors. As the entity responsible for healthcare administration, it is the government's duty to utilize all available administrative resources to prevent doctors' collective actions and implement measures to minimize healthcare disparities, even in the face of potential collective action.

Also crucial is to engage medical groups in dialogue and seek their cooperation regarding the necessity of expanding medical school quotas. The Medical Association is demanding concrete evidence from governmental research institutions regarding the specific basis for the findings, indicating a projected shortage of 15,000 doctors in 10 years. Addressing concerns that increasing medical school quotas by 65% at once could compromise medical education and dispelling suspicions that measures to strengthen essential medical services may be announced but left unresolved are tasks that the government must undertake.