Chaos ensues after 6,400 trainee doctors resign

More than 6,400 trainee doctors in Korea resigned on Tuesday to protest the government's decision to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools, sowing chaos at hospitals nationwide.

Medical professionals prepare for emergency cases at Korean Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Monday ahead of the mass resignation protest by trainee doctors. Emergency rooms at 12 military hospitals were opened to the public from Tuesday. [NEWS1]

More than 6,400 trainee doctors in Korea resigned on Tuesday to protest the government's decision to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools, sowing chaos at hospitals nationwide.

On Tuesday, the wife and daughter of an 83-year-old man who suffered a fracture tearfully thanked a doctor at Korean Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, for conducting the surgery.

The daughter told the JoongAng Ilbo, this paper's affiliate, that she began calling emergency rooms at all university hospitals nearby on Monday night.

However, all refused to operate on her father, saying there was nothing they could do as there was no one in the ERs.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 6,415 trainee doctors had submitted their resignation letters across 100 hospitals nationwide as of 11 p.m. Monday.

This accounts for around 55 percent of the total number of trainee doctors in these hospitals. Around 13,000 trainee doctors — about 95 percent of the total number of such doctors — work in these 100 major hospitals.

Of those who resigned, 1,630 interns and residents stopped providing medical services. Hospitals have not approved any of the resignation letters yet. During an on-site inspection, the government confirmed that 1,091 trainee doctors had submitted their resignation letters at 10 major hospitals, including Gangnam and Sinchon Severance Hospital and Hanyang University Seoul Hospital, as of 10 p.m. Monday.

The ministry has so far ordered 831 trainee doctors to return to work. If medical professionals refuse to return, their licenses could be suspended for up to a year, and they could even face up to three years in prison. Medical professionals sentenced to jail may have their licenses permanently revoked.

On the same day, President Yoon Suk Yeol also expressed his resentment over the collective action by medical professionals.

“Trainee doctors, at the center of the medical ground, and medical students who will lead the future medical scene, should not conduct collective actions that take hostage the lives and health of the people,” Yoon said during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

He added that there have already been cases where surgeries for cancer patients were postponed, and a lesser number of surgeries were scheduled as a mass strike was anticipated last week.

Yoon stressed that the country's medical reform is urgent, mentioning a case where a nurse in one of the major five hospitals died as there was no doctor for the nurse’s surgery in July 2022. The five major hospitals in Korea are Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

“Increasing the enrollment quota hike by 2,000 is the minimum number decided for the hike,” Yoon said.

On Tuesday, the Korean Healthcare Workers’ Union, under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, said that surgeries for patients waiting for their turn for six months are being canceled as trainee doctors refuse their duties.

“There are also moves to restrict hospitalization, refusing to have more inpatients and discharging them earlier than planned,” the statement added.

A total of 34 reports have been filed at the support center set for a response to collective actions by doctors as of midnight Tuesday.

The Health Ministry's headquarters dedicated to responding to the brewing crisis said Tuesday it would provide legal support to patients impacted by collective actions by doctors.

It will also enhance compensation for trainee doctors who provide emergency medical services.

According to the headquarters, disaster and emergency medical operation centers began operating for longer hours through 8 p.m. on weekdays starting Tuesday.

Another four centers set to operate in Seoul, Daejeon, Daegu and Gwangju may be pushed to operate from March. They were initially planned to open by May.

Public hospitals and medical centers will operate for longer hours on weekdays and will open on weekends and public holidays.

A hospital in Jeonju, North Jeolla, is crowded with patients on Tuesday as trainee doctors participate in a mass walkout in protest of the government's decision to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools. [NEWS1]

Emergency rooms at 12 military hospitals in the country will be opened to the public to ensure serious emergency patients can be treated promptly. Service hours of community health centers will also be extended through 8 p.m. on weekdays, to be expanded to weekends if private physicians join the walkout.

On Tuesday, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters said it will operate an emergency system to ensure urgent patients are transferred promptly. The 119 Emergency Control Center will designate hospitals where these patients will be transferred to minimize confusion.

In Seoul, four city-run hospitals will operate their emergency rooms for 24 hours if the national health crisis level is raised to the highest "serious" level.

The government raised the level to “alert,” the third highest in the four-tier system, on Feb. 7 as a mass strike was anticipated after the government announced the day before it would raise the enrollment quota at medical schools.

Around 80 percent of trainee doctors in North Jeolla submitted their resignation letters as of noon Monday, according to the provincial office. In Gyeonggi, 834 interns and residents submitted their resignation letters as of Monday, accounting for 36 percent of the total number of trainee doctors in the province.

A total of 1,133 students across seven of 40 medical schools had applied for leave of absence as of 6 p.m. Monday, the Ministry of Education said.

Of the submitted applications, schools approved four for students going on leave for military service or other personal reasons.

The government is maintaining its stern stance against the medical walkout.

The Ministry of Justice on Monday ordered the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office “to strictly and promptly respond to illegal collective actions, including violation of the Medical Service Act and obstruction of duties.”

At an emergency general meeting on Tuesday, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said many trainee doctors feel a heavy burden about leaving patients behind. KIRA is an occupational organization for trainee doctors.

“If we decide to resume work, it would be because we feel sorry for the patients, not because of the government’s threats,” a trainee doctor said in the meeting. Another trainee doctor who resigned recently stressed that they are not fighting against the public, adding that patients should not die from this occasion.

The Korean Medical Association also said on Tuesday that trainee doctors are merely exercising their fundamental rights with their resignations.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]